Tag Archives: Blacks

Juneteenth and Black Wall Street Massacre: Two Separate Historical Events

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Over the last week, there has been a lot of media attention around Juneteenth and Tulsa, OK, the home of Black Wall Street.  While both are two monumental events in history, they are not related.  As a native Texan, I’ve always known the significance of Juneteenth, but will admit that I did not learn about Black Wall Street until I was an adult.

Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, signifies the emancipation of the remaining enslaved blacks in the Confederacy.  While we all learned about the Emancipation Proclamation during our primary years of education, many may not know that slaves in Texas were not notified of their freedom until June 19, 1865, two and a half years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.  Because Texas was the most remote of the slave states and lacked the presence of Union troops, the proclamation was not enforced.  Of course, there was no incentive or desire for slave owners to share this information. 

Black communities have been consistently celebrating Juneteenth since the 1970s.  In a recent interview, Trump told the Wall Street Journal, “I did something good.  I made Juneteenth very famous.  It’s actually an important event, an important time.  But nobody had ever heard of it.”  Well, while you may not have heard of this historical date Mr. President, it doesn’t mean that others were not aware.  But, if your lack of knowledge helped to educate others, so be it.

The Black Wall Street massacre is another significant event in history but has no correlation to Juneteenth.  Black Wall Street was a predominately black neighborhood in Tulsa, OK.  At the time of the massacre, this area was known as the wealthiest black community in the United States.  On May 31, 1921, mobs of white residents attacked black residents and businesses ultimately killing men and burning and looting stores and homes.  This attack has been called “the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.” 

Trump’s initial decision to host a rally in Tulsa, OK on Juneteenth is what connected these two significant historical events.  One would think that someone in his camp should have been able to educate him on the significance of the date and location.  In the words of the late Steve Jobs, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

Resource: Black Wall Street The Board Game

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Wealth Gap: Are We Hurting Our Children?

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In the book, Rags to Riches, I talk about the wealth gap in the African American community.  As a Black female, I am very concerned about the current state of affairs; and the fact that the gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” is continuing to grow.  I am not only referring to the wealth gap when comparing us to others; I am also referencing the gap that exists within the Black community.

Our behaviors significantly contribute to our inability to create wealth and keep it.  As I was considering my post for this week, I ran across this article, Your Take:  How the Racial Wealth Gap Hurts Children of Color, on www.theroot.com .  Every parent wants their child to be successful, but oftentimes, I think we forget the link between wealth and success.

In our community, we often place significant importance on what we drive, how we look, and whether or not our child has the latest fashions and shoes.  This isn’t merely my opinion, there’s significant evidence to support my statement.  Based on the information in the article noted above, it is imperative that we begin shifting our focus if we want our children to be positioned to compete.  This means that we have to modify our behaviors so that our children understand the importance of education and wealth.  In essence, we must consume less, save more, and not only emphasize education for our children, but begin to educate ourselves as well.

Parents are their children’s first teachers.  I am reminded of the first verse in Whitney Houston’s song, The Greatest Love of All:

I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be

What behaviors are you modeling for your children?  Because of my extensive research for the book, I am not surprised by the statistics included in the article, but my heart is indeed heavy.  I don’t think this is what our ancestors had in mind during the Civil Rights movement.  Are we taking a step back in time?  Don’t we owe it to our children to position them better than this?  What will be the legacy of this generation?