“Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States” (Juneteenth, 2008, ¶1). Complete details on the holiday and its history are available at http://www.juneteenth.com.
Governor Sarah Palin joined officials and guests at a Juneteenth Book Dedication Ceremony at the Z.J. Loussac Library on May 22, 2009.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was presented with a copy of Charles A. Taylor’s “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom,” by Reverend Ronald Myers at the Juneteenth book dedication ceremony held at the Z.J. Loussac Library in Anchorage.
Commentary
This author finds it interesting that in major cities where there are significant African-American populations, this holiday which commemorates the end of slavery (a truly ugly and evil institution) is virtually unheard of. This blog author never heard of Juneteenth Day until he started supporting Governor Palin.
The Governor’s enemies have on several occasions tried to portray her as being racist or having racist tendencies, including a flap involving a proclamation for this holiday a while back. That is yet another application of Saul Alinksy’s Rules for Radicals — negate the positive and cast the subject as a hypocrite.
The truth is, Governor Palin is a leader for ALL people, and Alaska is a diverse state. Yes, there are African-Americans in Alaska…and Sikhs, and Jews, and others. Governor Palin has celebrated and shared in all her constituent’s holidays and has mourned with them as well. Her enemies might talk a good game about caring for the weak, vulnerable, downtrodden, and minorities — but Governor Palin walks the walk.
References
History of Juneteenth. (2008). Juneteenth.com. Retrieved May 27, 2009 from: http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
Photos retrieved from and courtesy of: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/photos.php
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