Should we celebrate Juneteenth?

As we fast approach Juneteenth it may seem like a reasonable question to say, “well I’m not American so what has that got to do with me?”

Juneteenth is a celebration of the freedom of American enslaved people back on June 19, 1865. The day is otherwise known as Emancipation Day. In America it is celebrated and for many it is a public holiday and a time to celebrate Black culture and values.  I’m not a massive Bob Marley fan, but I know very well the line from his track Redemption song Emancipate yourself from mental slavery.  Healing always follows the same basic pattern; it must begin with acknowledgement. I know this as well as anyone, I have a terrible history as a child, care, abuse etc. The years I spent ignoring my past did nothing for me, my healing began when I was able to confront my past, only then could I know my history without it feeling like it was still destroying me. This works on a national and international level.

There is no day to celebrate the emancipation of enslaved people in Europe, and I have often wondered why? Why do we sweep under the carpet the abolitionists who did the work to ensure that people were born and lived free. Key people in that history are overlooked and forgotten by all, but a few. Essential and important dates erased, no statues, no plaques, no flowers laid, no dignitaries, no lessons in schools, it has all become a very small footnote somewhere.

I tried to do a search once on the history of abolition across Europe and well it’s a bit of a mess. Slavery was abolished multiple times across the centuries and countries at a variety of times for a variety of groups and colonisation meant that even when it was banned in some countries those same countries were still instrumental in the trading of enslaved people. Now this might not see important, because after all it’s 2026. But pause for a second, can you imagine not commemorating World War 1 or 2? Just not acknowledging it in any way? What about the holocaust? We know the major impact these conflicts and genocides had on not just the countries involved but on the world. Trade, connections, finances, power, all affected by the conflict and deaths of masses of people.

Millions died in the transatlantic slave trade. This genocide impacted the world. The transatlantic slave trade permanently changed habits of the Atlantic Ocean sharks who migrated to follow slave ships in search of human flesh. We are talking about a moment in history that had massive environmental, trade, wealth, financial, long term, impact. Nations around the world are still trying to recover, whilst others are still benefiting. Individuals are still enjoying the wealth from slave trading, whilst others are still attempting to make up for the generational wealth that has been lost to them. Yet it is almost impossible to find any day or commemoration for the abolition of slavery in European countries. Even though European countries were the instigators and perpetrators of the transatlantic slave trade. It’s like the keyholders want to pretend there are no keys.

So, we hold onto Emancipation Day as a reminder of a horrific time in human history, as reminder that we must never be those people again, as a reminder of the importance of seeing our fellow human beings as our fellow human beings. In the same way that we acknowledge that the murder of George Floyd in 2020 impacted us all we use Juneteenth to anchor us all in an acknowledgement of the terrible atrocity of the transatlantic slave trade.

So, let’s remember together, let’s talk about all we have achieved in humanity and remember that we still have a long road ahead of us.

We are free, when we are all free.