Englewood, NJ - Juneteenth Day, 2014
Keynote
Speaker: Written and Presented by Helen Tinsley
I give thanks and praise to God
for this precious gift of life; and I give honor and praise to my parents,
Junius and Evelyn Tinsley for instilling in me the love and compassion for self
and others; and the thirst for education and knowledge.
I would like to acknowledge the late Senator Byron Baer for enacting the legislation in 2004 that designated the 3rd Saturday of June as the statewide Juneteenth Celebration for New Jersey. I would also like to acknowledge the dedicated efforts of the Jabari Society of Bergen County for their steadfast work in taking the lead and making this the 4th annual Juneteenth celebration in Englewood. Finally, I would like to thank Mayor Frank Huttle and the Englewood City Council for their support and participation in this initiative.
It is an extreme honor to speak to you today, as a former 3rd generation resident of Englewood and a product of the Englewood Public Schools. My grandparents, Junius and Francis Tinsley came to Englewood in the fall of 1925; and Tinsley’s have lived in Englewood and attended its’ public schools every since. However, my great-great grandparents on my paternal side were born into slavery in this country in 1823 & 1845 in Amelia County, Virginia, and their 5 children including my great grandmother, Maude Swann were the first generation in my family born free. So for me, the great-great granddaughter of former enslaved Blacks in this country to stand before you on this day in which we celebrate our liberation from chattel slavery is a true blessing indeed. It is also a privilege because as a product of the Englewood Public Schools, and a former Englewood Public School teacher and a life-long educator – I am proud to come back and share some brief historical information with you on this day.
In order to truly understand the significance of this day, we must take a look back at history. On New Year’s Eve in 1862, Black folks gathered in churches and private homes all over America awaiting the news that the Emancipation Proclamation had actually became law. This was the first Watch Night Service celebrated in America. Blacks have gathered in churches on New Year’s Eve every since to praise God for bringing us through another year. At the stroke of midnight - on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation declared all enslaved Blacks in the confederate states were declared legally free. However, contrary to popular opinion, the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all of the enslaved Blacks. It only applied to the Confederate States. Slave holding states within the Union (including: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri and West Virginia and counties in both Louisiana and Virginia) were NOT included in the Emancipation Proclamation, which left over one million enslaved Blacks in Union territory still in bondage.
In reality, and to give you food for thought: Did the Emancipation Proclamation really free any enslaved Blacks? The confederate states had seceded from the Union, so the enslaved Blacks in the confederacy were not really under Lincoln’s control or jurisdiction, and the Emancipation Proclamation did not apply to states in the Union. So who did the Emancipation Proclamation really free)? The real freedom was provided to those enslaved Blacks within the confederacy who ESCAPED and made it across Union lines.
In January 1865, the 13th amendment was passed which abolished slavery in the United States and four million Blacks were freed. The Civil Rights Act of 1866, which declared all persons born in the US were all citizens, without regard to race, color or previous condition, was passed by Congress over the veto of President Andrew Johnson, (who was adamantly in favor of slavery and a slaveholder). Then the 14th Amendment was passed in 1868 granting citizenship, due process and equal protection under the law.
So in reality, the 13th Amendment is the legislation that granted freedom to ALL enslaved Blacks in the United States. These millions of newly freed Blacks began to roam the antebellum countryside – many searching for family members and loved ones who had been sold off to other plantations. These were people with no money, no food, no shelter, no education (thus illiterate) and no “known” way to survive, who were freed after 246 years of chattel slavery – people who were thrust into a capitalistic society without capital. Slavery has existed throughout the world as we know, but the enslavement of Black people (which we know was extremely cruel, inhumane and barbaric) also had a different aspect to it that separated it from all other known slavery. The identity was stolen from Black folks – our names, language, religion, family, and history were taken from us; and when your identity is taken it has cyclical, negative ramifications on each subsequent generation.
So – as we celebrate this awesome day known as Juneteenth – it is truly bittersweet. Yet history is what it is – the past! We must learn our history, understand it, remember it, teach it and pass the knowledge on to our youth and community. Today we are at a critical point in the history of our county. There is widespread poverty across this nation. There are far too many unemployed people throughout the country, countless homeless people on our nation’s streets, too many people scrounging daily for food; too many elderly people who worked all their lives who can’t afford to maintain a decent living; and there are far too many children hungry or not receiving an appropriate education. We may have come to this country on different ships – but we are all in the same boat now! Our survival depends on one another. The late, great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently said, “No one is free until we are all free.”
We must love one another, unify with one another and work together – or we will perish together! We must protect our children and show love and concern for our elders. We must conduct ourselves with self-respect and treat one another with love and respect. We have to teach our youth the truth of our history, because there are far too many significant events that occurred in history that are not taught in our public schools throughout the country.
The Black Churches need to let their parishioners know when they fellowship every New Year’s Eve for Watch Night – that in actually it is in commemoration to their enslaved ancestors, who gathered that cold night on December 31, in 1862 to await news of their freedom.
Children need to know about the Children’s March that occurred in Birmingham, Alabama over four days in May of 1963 when 4,000 children (as young as 4 years old) marched to bring an end to segregation in Birmingham, Alabama – which was considered the most segregated city in America. The Police Chief Bull Connor ordered the fire hoses to be turned on the children and for the police dogs to be set loose on the children. Finally, the children - all 4,000 of them were put in the city jails. These were innocent children who only wanted equality and despite the horrendous treatment they received, they still remained non-violent.
This event was the catalyst that led President John F. Kennedy to publicly support racial equality in America, and to put forth legislation for a civil rights bill. After Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963, the bill was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964, known as the Civil Right Act of 1964. This is not Black History – this is American History; yet it is not commonly included in our history books. All children need to know this story, because children regardless of race, language or background need to know that they have power when organized for positive change. They can make a difference. This story is documented in a video entitled: Mighty Times – The Children’s March, along with a companion teacher’s guide.
There are so many other stories that are not taught…such as the origin of many Black colleges and Universities in the country – some which were founded by former slaves, and their descendants; the history of Black Wall Street in Oklahoma, which was one of the wealthiest and most successful Black communities in the United States during the early 20th century until the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. The Tulsa Race Riot was a large-scale, racially motivated conflict in which Whites attacked the Black community of Tulsa, Oklahoma and burned the community – their homes and businesses down.
People need to know about the struggles that occurred in Englewood as well. I can recall numerous incidents of racism and bigotry growing up right here in our beloved Englewood and throughout Bergen County, even to the present day!!! One case in point: My children and I remember in the 90’s during the regionalization law suit, when the state was trying to bring an end to the racial isolation at Dwight Morrow and began having public hearings at the high school in the auditorium (which was historically known as Academic Hall) to discuss regionalization options. In the morning as I would driven my four children to school, we encountered numerous white parents from neighboring towns lining the entryway to Dwight Morrow High School with picket signs saying “We don’t want our kids over here”, “Say no to Englewood kids and down with regionalization,” until a controversial so-called “solution” – the “Academies at Englewood” was established that again perpetuated the doctrine of separate and unequal. This story is told in a documentary I produced, entitled “A Walk in the Valley – A mother’s journey through public education” which is posted on Youtube.
These are just a few of the many untold stories that need to be learned and shared. However, the weight is on us – the adults and the stewards of the youth and the community. I encourage each of us to make a commitment to help someone…work with your child or somebody else’s child…take a stand against inferior education, the school to prison pipeline and mass incarceration. Read, Read and read some more and then share the knowledge. Our beloved late sister, Maya Angelou said, “When you learn, teach, when you get, give.”
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865 – Major General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas carrying news that the war had ended and that all enslaved Blacks were free. This was a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had become official. That day, June 19th became known as Juneteenth; and starting in Galveston, Texas it became a day for fellowship, celebrating Blacks survival and for gathering remaining family members. On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas spearheaded through the efforts of Al Edwards, a Black state senator. Mr. Edwards has worked long and hard to spread the observance of Juneteenth throughout the country.
Juneteenth is a day to celebrate the abolition of slavery, the freedom of blacks in this country and the achievements that have been made. It is also a reminder to all of America of the significant contributions that Blacks have made to American society. Malcolm X told us: “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” We each have a role and responsibility to our youth and communities – so, let’s step up to the plate and all do our part to make this world a better place.
In closing, turn to your neighbor and give them a big hug and tell them Happy Juneteenth Day! This day is truly the day for celebrating the Independence of Blacks in this country. Let this day light a spark in each of us to do more, and to do better to support our youth and rebuild our communities! Finally, in the words of Queen Mother Moore – the late great activist, “Each one reach one, each one teach one.” Thank you, God bless you & Happy Juneteenth Day!!!
I would like to acknowledge the late Senator Byron Baer for enacting the legislation in 2004 that designated the 3rd Saturday of June as the statewide Juneteenth Celebration for New Jersey. I would also like to acknowledge the dedicated efforts of the Jabari Society of Bergen County for their steadfast work in taking the lead and making this the 4th annual Juneteenth celebration in Englewood. Finally, I would like to thank Mayor Frank Huttle and the Englewood City Council for their support and participation in this initiative.
It is an extreme honor to speak to you today, as a former 3rd generation resident of Englewood and a product of the Englewood Public Schools. My grandparents, Junius and Francis Tinsley came to Englewood in the fall of 1925; and Tinsley’s have lived in Englewood and attended its’ public schools every since. However, my great-great grandparents on my paternal side were born into slavery in this country in 1823 & 1845 in Amelia County, Virginia, and their 5 children including my great grandmother, Maude Swann were the first generation in my family born free. So for me, the great-great granddaughter of former enslaved Blacks in this country to stand before you on this day in which we celebrate our liberation from chattel slavery is a true blessing indeed. It is also a privilege because as a product of the Englewood Public Schools, and a former Englewood Public School teacher and a life-long educator – I am proud to come back and share some brief historical information with you on this day.
In order to truly understand the significance of this day, we must take a look back at history. On New Year’s Eve in 1862, Black folks gathered in churches and private homes all over America awaiting the news that the Emancipation Proclamation had actually became law. This was the first Watch Night Service celebrated in America. Blacks have gathered in churches on New Year’s Eve every since to praise God for bringing us through another year. At the stroke of midnight - on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation declared all enslaved Blacks in the confederate states were declared legally free. However, contrary to popular opinion, the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all of the enslaved Blacks. It only applied to the Confederate States. Slave holding states within the Union (including: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri and West Virginia and counties in both Louisiana and Virginia) were NOT included in the Emancipation Proclamation, which left over one million enslaved Blacks in Union territory still in bondage.
In reality, and to give you food for thought: Did the Emancipation Proclamation really free any enslaved Blacks? The confederate states had seceded from the Union, so the enslaved Blacks in the confederacy were not really under Lincoln’s control or jurisdiction, and the Emancipation Proclamation did not apply to states in the Union. So who did the Emancipation Proclamation really free)? The real freedom was provided to those enslaved Blacks within the confederacy who ESCAPED and made it across Union lines.
In January 1865, the 13th amendment was passed which abolished slavery in the United States and four million Blacks were freed. The Civil Rights Act of 1866, which declared all persons born in the US were all citizens, without regard to race, color or previous condition, was passed by Congress over the veto of President Andrew Johnson, (who was adamantly in favor of slavery and a slaveholder). Then the 14th Amendment was passed in 1868 granting citizenship, due process and equal protection under the law.
So in reality, the 13th Amendment is the legislation that granted freedom to ALL enslaved Blacks in the United States. These millions of newly freed Blacks began to roam the antebellum countryside – many searching for family members and loved ones who had been sold off to other plantations. These were people with no money, no food, no shelter, no education (thus illiterate) and no “known” way to survive, who were freed after 246 years of chattel slavery – people who were thrust into a capitalistic society without capital. Slavery has existed throughout the world as we know, but the enslavement of Black people (which we know was extremely cruel, inhumane and barbaric) also had a different aspect to it that separated it from all other known slavery. The identity was stolen from Black folks – our names, language, religion, family, and history were taken from us; and when your identity is taken it has cyclical, negative ramifications on each subsequent generation.
So – as we celebrate this awesome day known as Juneteenth – it is truly bittersweet. Yet history is what it is – the past! We must learn our history, understand it, remember it, teach it and pass the knowledge on to our youth and community. Today we are at a critical point in the history of our county. There is widespread poverty across this nation. There are far too many unemployed people throughout the country, countless homeless people on our nation’s streets, too many people scrounging daily for food; too many elderly people who worked all their lives who can’t afford to maintain a decent living; and there are far too many children hungry or not receiving an appropriate education. We may have come to this country on different ships – but we are all in the same boat now! Our survival depends on one another. The late, great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently said, “No one is free until we are all free.”
We must love one another, unify with one another and work together – or we will perish together! We must protect our children and show love and concern for our elders. We must conduct ourselves with self-respect and treat one another with love and respect. We have to teach our youth the truth of our history, because there are far too many significant events that occurred in history that are not taught in our public schools throughout the country.
The Black Churches need to let their parishioners know when they fellowship every New Year’s Eve for Watch Night – that in actually it is in commemoration to their enslaved ancestors, who gathered that cold night on December 31, in 1862 to await news of their freedom.
Children need to know about the Children’s March that occurred in Birmingham, Alabama over four days in May of 1963 when 4,000 children (as young as 4 years old) marched to bring an end to segregation in Birmingham, Alabama – which was considered the most segregated city in America. The Police Chief Bull Connor ordered the fire hoses to be turned on the children and for the police dogs to be set loose on the children. Finally, the children - all 4,000 of them were put in the city jails. These were innocent children who only wanted equality and despite the horrendous treatment they received, they still remained non-violent.
This event was the catalyst that led President John F. Kennedy to publicly support racial equality in America, and to put forth legislation for a civil rights bill. After Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963, the bill was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964, known as the Civil Right Act of 1964. This is not Black History – this is American History; yet it is not commonly included in our history books. All children need to know this story, because children regardless of race, language or background need to know that they have power when organized for positive change. They can make a difference. This story is documented in a video entitled: Mighty Times – The Children’s March, along with a companion teacher’s guide.
There are so many other stories that are not taught…such as the origin of many Black colleges and Universities in the country – some which were founded by former slaves, and their descendants; the history of Black Wall Street in Oklahoma, which was one of the wealthiest and most successful Black communities in the United States during the early 20th century until the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. The Tulsa Race Riot was a large-scale, racially motivated conflict in which Whites attacked the Black community of Tulsa, Oklahoma and burned the community – their homes and businesses down.
People need to know about the struggles that occurred in Englewood as well. I can recall numerous incidents of racism and bigotry growing up right here in our beloved Englewood and throughout Bergen County, even to the present day!!! One case in point: My children and I remember in the 90’s during the regionalization law suit, when the state was trying to bring an end to the racial isolation at Dwight Morrow and began having public hearings at the high school in the auditorium (which was historically known as Academic Hall) to discuss regionalization options. In the morning as I would driven my four children to school, we encountered numerous white parents from neighboring towns lining the entryway to Dwight Morrow High School with picket signs saying “We don’t want our kids over here”, “Say no to Englewood kids and down with regionalization,” until a controversial so-called “solution” – the “Academies at Englewood” was established that again perpetuated the doctrine of separate and unequal. This story is told in a documentary I produced, entitled “A Walk in the Valley – A mother’s journey through public education” which is posted on Youtube.
These are just a few of the many untold stories that need to be learned and shared. However, the weight is on us – the adults and the stewards of the youth and the community. I encourage each of us to make a commitment to help someone…work with your child or somebody else’s child…take a stand against inferior education, the school to prison pipeline and mass incarceration. Read, Read and read some more and then share the knowledge. Our beloved late sister, Maya Angelou said, “When you learn, teach, when you get, give.”
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865 – Major General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas carrying news that the war had ended and that all enslaved Blacks were free. This was a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had become official. That day, June 19th became known as Juneteenth; and starting in Galveston, Texas it became a day for fellowship, celebrating Blacks survival and for gathering remaining family members. On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas spearheaded through the efforts of Al Edwards, a Black state senator. Mr. Edwards has worked long and hard to spread the observance of Juneteenth throughout the country.
Juneteenth is a day to celebrate the abolition of slavery, the freedom of blacks in this country and the achievements that have been made. It is also a reminder to all of America of the significant contributions that Blacks have made to American society. Malcolm X told us: “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” We each have a role and responsibility to our youth and communities – so, let’s step up to the plate and all do our part to make this world a better place.
In closing, turn to your neighbor and give them a big hug and tell them Happy Juneteenth Day! This day is truly the day for celebrating the Independence of Blacks in this country. Let this day light a spark in each of us to do more, and to do better to support our youth and rebuild our communities! Finally, in the words of Queen Mother Moore – the late great activist, “Each one reach one, each one teach one.” Thank you, God bless you & Happy Juneteenth Day!!!
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