A Reflection on Freedom, Truth, and the Unfinished Work of Justice
June 19th. Juneteenth. A word full of story, full of pain, full of power.
For some, it’s a newly discovered holiday — another date on the calendar whose historical meaning wasn’t taught in schools. For others, it’s a sacred annual recognition of a promise finally delivered, though far too late. For all of us, Juneteenth offers something vital: a chance to reckon with the past, honor the fight for liberation, and commit again to building a world that truly lives up to the idea that none of us are free until all of us are free.
What Is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth, short for June Nineteenth, marks the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and finally enforced the Emancipation Proclamation issued more than two and a half years earlier. Black people in Texas, the most remote of the Confederate states, had still been enslaved even though they were legally free. On that day, General Gordon Granger stood before the people and read General Order No. 3:
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
That moment was not a magic wand. Freedom didn’t fall from the sky. Many enslavers deliberately delayed the announcement or fled to other territories to avoid enforcement. Others refused to acknowledge the law. And yet, for the newly freed people of Texas, the arrival of that news, no matter how delayed, was a turning point, a crack of light in a centuries-long darkness.
Freedom Delayed Is Freedom Denied
Why did it take two and a half years for freedom to reach Texas? Why did enslavers get to continue their horror show of forced labor, family separation, and abuse with no consequence?
Because freedom for Black Americans was never something this country was eager to grant. It had to be fought for — bitterly, constantly, exhaustingly — by those who were denied it. America didn’t joyfully open its arms to its Black citizens. It clawed at their backs, tried to chain them in new ways, changed the names but not the game.
That resistance to true liberation didn’t end in 1865. It just evolved.
The systems of enslavement mutated into sharecropping, convict leasing, Jim Crow, redlining, mass incarceration, police violence, underfunded schools, generational wealth gaps, and voter suppression. The struggle never ended. It shifted terrain.
Why Juneteenth Matters Now
Juneteenth isn’t just a history lesson — it’s a mirror. It asks us: How much of that freedom has truly been fulfilled? How many more centuries will it take before Black Americans experience equality not just on paper but in daily life?
While some politicians slap the label “holiday” on Juneteenth to appear progressive, they ban books that tell the real stories. They push legislation that hides the truth, silences teachers, whitewashes history. They say “all lives matter” while proving by action that Black lives still don’t matter equally.
But Juneteenth refuses to be sanitized. It is not a day of barbecue and feel-good hashtags. It is a freedom fire — lit by enslaved hands, passed through generations, still burning.
What We Celebrate, and What We Refuse to Forget
At The Church of Tinkerbell, we believe in lifting the veil — naming systems of power and dismantling the lies they’re built on. Juneteenth is exactly that kind of holiday.
We celebrate:
- The strength and resilience of Black communities across time
- The courage of enslaved people who dreamed of freedom even when the world called them property
- The power of truth in a culture addicted to amnesia
And we refuse to forget:
- That freedom came late, and was resisted at every turn
- That the systems of racial oppression are not relics of the past, but living structures we must actively tear down
- That allyship means action, not just acknowledgment
How to Honor Juneteenth
You don’t need to be Black to honor Juneteenth, but you do need to show up with humility, honesty, and a willingness to learn.
Here are ways to honor this day with more than words:
1. Learn Real History
Study the stories not told in school. Listen to Black voices. Read Black authors. Understand the roots of racial injustice in America.
2. Support Black-Owned Businesses
Make economic choices that uplift Black communities. Not just on Juneteenth, but year-round.
3. Donate to Racial Justice Work
Organizations that fight for justice, equity, and opportunity need sustained support.
4. Challenge Whitewashed Narratives
Whether in your workplace, your family, or your church or community group, speak up when history is distorted or injustice is excused.
5. Show Up in Solidarity
March. Vote. Protest. Sign petitions. Talk to your legislators. Be the disruption when comfort serves injustice.
A Word From the Fairy Rebellion
Here at The Church of Tinkerbell, we teach that magic is not just about pixie dust — it’s about radical compassion, collective liberation, and unapologetic truth-telling. If Tinkerbell has a creed, it’s this:
“I will not hide my light to make you comfortable. I will not pretend your chains are freedom. I will never stop believing in liberation, even when you say it’s impossible.”
Juneteenth is holy ground. Not because everything was made right, but because people believed in freedom when everything told them not to. It is a candle we light not just for what was, but for what could be.
Let’s honor it by doing the work. Let’s honor it by telling the truth.
Let’s honor it by never letting the light go out.
