Juneteenth

ShatterAlan · 18-06-2021 12:07am #1

Is this the most idiotic name for a holiday?

JUNETEENTH.

Celebrate the day that blacks were liberated but don't give it some inane label like "juneteenth".

It's as bad as "freedom fries" or "brangelina".

Juneteenth??

Call it a proper day like "Freedom from slavery day", or "anti-scumbag day"

dxhound2005 · 18-06-2021 12:27am

I never heard it before, and it does jar with me probably for that reason. But I read that it goes back to the 1890's, so it has stood the test of time.

Gregor Samsa · 18-06-2021 9:30am

No more or less idiotic a name than Halloween, Whit Sunday or Shrove Tuesday. These things all have an origin, but we just accept them as names now even thorough they don't make literal sense any more. Juneteenth might seem odd to us, since it's the first time people outside the US are hearing it, but if you've grown up with the name being used, I'm sure you wouldn't give it much thought.

I actually like it when things have a folk history to them. "Freedom from slavery day" would be such a boring, literal name. We have too much of that in Ireland already: "The May bank holiday", "the June bank holiday", " the August bank holiday", "the October bank holiday". The only good or interesting thing about those names are that they're not actually "bank holidays".

sprucemoose · 18-06-2021 9:46am

it was one of the best episodes of atlanta imo

Irish_wolf · 18-06-2021 9:52am

It's probably because Americans usually say dates like May 4th rather than the 4th of May. So the 19th of June is said as June nineteenth which doesnt exactly roll off the tongue hence the contraction. I've no issues with the name but it's definitely a weird thing to celebrate when black people in America still face massive social and economic hardships.

Fr Tod Umptious · 18-06-2021 10:58am

Irish_wolf wrote: »

It's probably because Americans usually say dates like May 4th rather than the 4th of May. So the 19th of June is said as June nineteenth which doesnt exactly roll off the tongue hence the contraction. I've no issues with the name but it's definitely a weird thing to celebrate when black people in America still face massive social and economic hardships.

There is a big difference between massive social and economic hardship and being owned by another human being.

A lot of races in America face massive social and economic hardship, but other than African Americans none are the descendants of people that were slaves less than 200 years ago.

They deserve the holiday to celebrate the end of slavery.

18-06-2021 11:02am

It's so strange that nobody had heard of Juneteenth until last year and all of a sudden it's a public holiday. It's almost like the way Black Friday crept over to these shores a couple of years ago and now it seems to taken as read.

Montage of Feck · 18-06-2021 11:04am

We we ready have black Friday? The Yanks can keep their holidays.

alroley · 18-06-2021 11:06am

Just say you're racist and move on, OP.

Gregor Samsa · 18-06-2021 11:07am

The official name in the legislation is "Juneteenth National Independence Day", which Republican Representative Thomas Massie objected to on the grounds that it would “create confusion” with Independence Day on the fourth of July.

As if Americans will ever forget the significance of the day they defeated the aliens.

18-06-2021 11:07am

Deleted User wrote: »

It's so strange that nobody had heard of Juneteenth until last year and all of a sudden it's a public holiday. It's almost like the way Black Friday crept over to these shores a couple of years ago and now it seems to taken as read.

I get what you're saying - do they really need two holidays?

artanevilla · 18-06-2021 11:09am

You don't have to call it anything OP, like you don't have to celebrate La Befana or any other foreign holiday.

Yakov P. Golyadkin · 18-06-2021 11:10am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

It's so strange that nobody had heard of Juneteenth until last year and all of a sudden it's a public holiday. It's almost like the way Black Friday crept over to these shores a couple of years ago and now it seems to taken as read.

From Wikipedia

"Celebrations date to 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas. It spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival. Participants in the Great Migration out of the South carried their celebrations to other parts of the country. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, these celebrations were eclipsed by the struggle for postwar civil rights, but grew in popularity again in the 1970s with a focus on African-American freedom and African-American arts. As of 2021, North Dakota and South Dakota are the only states that do not recognize Juneteenth, according to the Congressional Research Service...
Texas was the first state to recognize the date, in 1980. By 2002, eight states officially recognized Juneteenth[90] and four years later 15 states recognized the holiday.[34] By 2008, nearly half of states observed the holiday as a ceremonial observance.[91] By 2019, 47 states and the District of Columbia recognized Juneteenth,[92] although only one state (Texas) has adopted the holiday as a paid holiday for state employees."

And, after all that, it's now a federal holiday.

NSAman · 18-06-2021 11:11am

So another federal and some state holiday.

What does it mean to average workers? Nada it’s still a work day, only federal workers and banks get it off….

Gregor Samsa · 18-06-2021 11:13am

Deleted User wrote: »

It's so strange that nobody had heard of Juneteenth until last year and all of a sudden it's a public holiday..

It was already a state holiday of some kind of observance in 48 states, plus Washington DC. I'ts been officially recognised in Texas since 1980.

But as mentioned by NSAman above, the US doesn't really have the concept of "Public Holidays" the way we do. Federal and State employees aside, it's up to individual companies to decide whether to give their workers any given day off or not.

Fr Tod Umptious · 18-06-2021 11:16am

Are people also aware that there is a celebration called Kwanzaa which is essentially "black Christmas".

It originated in 1966 are part of the Black Power movement and was a reaction to Christmas being too white.

It runs from Dec 26th to Jan 1st.

I wonder how long it will take that to become a federal holiday, because right now Dec 26th (Stephen Day/ Boxing Day) is not a day off in America.

18-06-2021 11:17am

Yakov P. Golyadkin wrote: »

From Wikipedia

"Celebrations date to 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas. It spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival. Participants in the Great Migration out of the South carried their celebrations to other parts of the country. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, these celebrations were eclipsed by the struggle for postwar civil rights, but grew in popularity again in the 1970s with a focus on African-American freedom and African-American arts. As of 2021, North Dakota and South Dakota are the only states that do not recognize Juneteenth, according to the Congressional Research Service...
Texas was the first state to recognize the date, in 1980. By 2002, eight states officially recognized Juneteenth[90] and four years later 15 states recognized the holiday.[34] By 2008, nearly half of states observed the holiday as a ceremonial observance.[91] By 2019, 47 states and the District of Columbia recognized Juneteenth,[92] although only one state (Texas) has adopted the holiday as a paid holiday for state employees."

And, after all that, it's now a federal holiday.

I think you missed my point. I'm not saying it's new or has no history. I'm saying most American people, of all races, had never heard of it until last year after Mister Floyd got killed.

18-06-2021 11:23am

Deleted User wrote: »

It's so strange that nobody had I hadn't heard of Juneteenth until last year and all of a sudden it's a public holiday. It's almost like the way Black Friday crept over to these shores a couple of years ago and now it seems to taken as read.

Corrected your post.

Fr Tod Umptious · 18-06-2021 11:26am

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

It was already a state holiday of some kind of observance in 48 states, plus Washington DC. I'ts been officially recognised in Texas since 1980.

But as mentioned by NSAman above, the US doesn't really have the concept of "Public Holidays" the way we do. Federal and State employees aside, it's up to individual companies to decide whether to give their workers any given day off or not.

Most companies take the main federal holidays off.
New Year's Day, MLK's birthday, President's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day.

Other then also take Veteran's Day (11th Nov) off.
Financial companies take Good Friday off and the day after Thanksgiving off as the Stock Exchange is closed those days.

I think Federal employees also get Columbus Day (a Monday in October) off but regular companies don't tend to take it off.

Then you have numerous different state and city holidays that state or city employees get off.
For example Patriots day (a Monday in April) is a state holiday in Massachusetts and Maine (I believe) so state employees get that day off .

March 17th is a city holiday in Boston, so city employees get the day off.
By the way that's Evacuation Day, the day in the Revolutionary War that the British left Boston.

18-06-2021 11:31am

Deleted User wrote: »

Corrected your post.

OK so this is one of those things where everyone is going to pretend like they'd heard of this for years and years and also pretend like this has always been a HUGE deal. I find mass delusion to be so intriguing.

Gregor Samsa · 18-06-2021 11:35am

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Most companies take the main federal holidays off.

Yeah, but that's my point, it's up to the companies (unlike what we're use to here). Many do, but they don't have to.

I work for an American company - they don't take President's Day off, for instance. But they do take most of the rest of them off, and our CEO just announced last night that in future MLK day would be a company-wide holiday (for all global offices, not just the US). As it's come and gone this year already, they're giving us all a day off in July instead.

Ours is an eCommerce company. Not only is it the case that Thanksgiving and the day after (Black Friday) aren't days off, but even taking annual leave those days is pretty much banned, as that whole weekend, including "Cyber Monday" (and indeed the week before) is the very busiest of the entire year (in terms of orders/revenue). There's no concept of "well, take a different day in lieu". There's a calendar published each year of the "holidays" the US offices are closed, and that's that. It can change from year to year, although it's been pretty stable the past 5 years or so. Before that, there was some uncertainty and random "floating hoidays" that could get thrown in anywhere.

Jim2007 · 18-06-2021 11:43am

Deleted User wrote: »

I get what you're saying - do they really need two holidays?

The same answer as to combining St. Patrick’s day the 12th in NI….

18-06-2021 12:51pm

Deleted User wrote: »

OK so this is one of those things where everyone is going to pretend like they'd heard of this for years and years and also pretend like this has always been a HUGE deal. I find mass delusion to be so intriguing.

Who said it was a HUGE deal? More hyperbolic nonsense from you.

You said nobody had heard of it. It's OK if you hadn't heard of it but trying to speak on behalf of everyone isn't going to lend your point any more credence.

branie2 · 18-06-2021 10:15pm

Great idea

Rket4000 · 18-06-2021 10:21pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

OK so this is one of those things where everyone is going to pretend like they'd heard of this for years and years and also pretend like this has always been a HUGE deal. I find mass delusion to be so intriguing.

I don't have to pretend.. I'd heard it before over the last two or three years.. Mostly because I follow several US based twitter accounts. I would never assume that just because I never heard of something that no one else had heard of it either.

machiavellianme · 18-06-2021 10:47pm

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

The official name in the legislation is "Juneteenth National Independence Day", which Republican Representative Thomas Massie objected to on the grounds that it would “create confusion” with Independence Day on the fourth of July.

As if Americans will ever forget the significance of the day they defeated the aliens.

They didn't defeat them, fairly sure they came back for more. No idea what happened after that though.

Montage of Feck · 18-06-2021 11:17pm

^^^
Jeff Goldblum invented a molecular transporter and saved the day.

18-06-2021 11:26pm

Didn't hear of it until last year. Seems a very worthy anniversary to mark. I don't think the OP is racist (a term that can be used as a descriptor based on very little evidence) but I don't understand taking issue to a degree with the name. Not of concern imo. It's just a bit of (albeit not very effective) wordplay.

spurious · 18-06-2021 11:33pm

Amazed the end of slavery was not already celebrated/commemorated, but 'Juneteenth'? It sounds terrible. Not an appropriate name for such a serious commemoration, I think.

Bobblehats · 19-06-2021 12:26am

Nineteenth?

..of June. 19th of June.

Akrasia · 19-06-2021 12:31am

Forget June 19th. There should be a public holiday on July 19th. The day the ice age ended

Juneteenth

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