Beware of the Gentrification of Juneteenth

Juneteenth is now a federal holiday as of 2021.

June 19^th, 1865 was the day that the enslaved Black folks of Texas learned that they were free. Union General Gordon Granger traveled to Galveston, Texas to deliver and announce Order No. 3, which reiterated the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation: the 250,000 enslaved people of Texas (the last state in the re-United States to maintain slavery) are free. They spent two years under the yoke of servitude, not knowing that they could have cast down their tools and left. I often make the joke that June 19^th is also the anniversary of the invention of the word “motherf****r”…I might not be wrong.

Traditional Juneteenth celebrations include wearing our finest clothes (often linen, since it’s summertime), drinking red drinks like sorrel and iced hibiscus tea, eating red velvet cake, singing, dancing, and large outdoor feast. You know a cookout. It is a festive day. If it is on a weekday, I would “call in Black” to work and spend my time with friends and family. With Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday, I no longer have to call in Black. I have the day off, just like everyone else. This is a good thing. This is more cookout prep time. I am fully on board with Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday. Everyone should celebrate “Black Independence Day”.

Juneteenth is already gentrified

However, there is a downside to this. Like all other holidays, Juneteenth is about to be gentrified. More accurately, Juneteenth is already gentrified. Walmart announced, and then promptly rescinded, a Great Value brand Juneteenth ice cream. I saw a Juneteenth party favors endcap. Even Dollar Tree is getting in on the action. I’m sure more companies will monetize the holiday as much as they can: Juneteenth displays in bookstores, red velvet pancakes at national chain restaurants, Juneteenth sales at mattress stores. It is to be expected in a capitalist society. There were already MLK Day sales. Target had a huge Black History Month sales bin, so Juneteenth is going to get gentrified. I’m just a little bit surprised at how fast it is happening, but that can be explained by the lightning-fast speed of information nowadays. But still, I shake my head.

To be fair, gentrifying holidays for cash is a Western tradition. Catholics gentrified multiple holidays to spread their reach. Rabbits and eggs and ornamented fir trees and a large bearded man dispensing gifts and taking your food have nothing to do with the Gospel, but here we are. LGBTQIA History Month is in June, and at the stroke of midnight on June 1^st, companies redraw their logos in rainbow colors, because they realized that queer people buy things. Even defense companies, notorious for excluding LGBTQIA people from employment, got in on the action. Do they think that a Trans woman is going to go out and buy a few missiles?…actually, given the hell that we as a society have put Trans folks through, they deserve at least a blue, white, and pink Howitzer, but I digress.

Back to Freedom Day, if you are looking to honor the holiday with respect to its roots, there are a few things you can do:

• READ ABOUT THE DAY. Knowledge of what Juneteenth is will ground you and remind you of why the day exists. It will be very unfortunate if Juneteenth gets watered down to the point that no one knows its history, and then people will treat it like another drinking day like they do St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo. I will not be responsible for my actions if I see a bunch of white people in a bar wearing fake dashikis and afro wigs.
• BUY BLACK. Spend the day only patronizing Black owned businesses. Sam Walton’s family does not need your money.
• SUPPORT BLACK ORGANIZATIONS. If you are a white business owner and wish to celebrate Juneteenth, the best way to do so is to support your local Black community. A coffee roaster in Rochester plans to make a special roast and donate all the profits from the sales to a local Black owned non-profit organization.

Despite Juneteenth being nicknamed “Black Independence Day”, It is a day that everyone should enjoy. Unlike July 4^th Independence Day, it does not carry the baggage of hypocrisy, since not everyone was free in 1776. Much like the Negro National Anthem, it celebrates freedom and equality for all and does not call for the murder of anyone like the National Anthem does. This is a happy holiday that does not need capitalist dilution, so please celebrate it…but you still can’t come to the cookout.

About Chris Thompson