Dr. Ryan E. Ross

Posted June 19, 2025

 

Every June, as the days stretch long and sun-drenched across our neighborhoods, we are given more than warmth—we’re given a reminder. A reminder wrapped in both pain and pride. A holiday that isn’t about fireworks or fanfare—it’s about truth. That holiday is Juneteenth.

 

It is not just a day off. Not a performative nod in a political climate. Not a checkmark on the federal calendar. It’s a battle cry wrapped in a celebration. It’s a soul check. It’s a pulse on our people and our progress. And it’s a call we must continue to answer! Juneteenth, short for “June Nineteenth,” marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to deliver news that should have reached two and a half years earlier: Enslaved Black people were free.

 

Juneteenth, short for “June Nineteenth,” marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to deliver news that should have reached two and a half years earlier: Enslaved Black people were free.

 

Let that settle in.

 

No Instagram post. No livestream. No viral tweet. Not even a flicker of Morse code. Just two and a half more years of forced silence. Of sweat-drenched fields. Of shackles on children. Of beatings from men who called themselves Christian. Two and a half more years of calculated cruelty, oppression under psychopaths, and humanity stripped down to nothing but labor and survival.

 

Freedom wasn’t withheld by accident—it was stolen, with full intent and without apology.

 

And yet, when that word finally arrived, when freedom walked down the dusty roads of Galveston, our people—our people—did what only we could do. They celebrated.

 

They danced. They shouted. They prayed. They wept. They praised. In the very soil that tried to bury them, they planted joy.

 

For decades, Juneteenth wasn’t celebrated in front of cameras or covered by national media. It was celebrated on porches, in barbershops, around backyard grills, under church steeples, and beside elders who carried history in their eyes.

 

There were red drinks to represent the bloodshed, soul food seasoned with stories, and music that made your feet move even if your heart was heavy. These were not just gatherings—they were declarations: We are still here.

 

And then came 2021—Juneteenth became a federal holiday. And yes, some folks raised an eyebrow. “Is this real or is this just performance?” they asked. I hear that skepticism. I understand it. But here’s the truth:

 

We can’t afford to let that question keep us from our celebration.

 

To celebrate Juneteenth is to affirm our truth in a time where truth itself is under siege. Right now, Black history is being banned, blurred, and whitewashed in classrooms and courtrooms across America. Politicians are rewriting curriculums while denying the very harms their ancestors helped inflict.

So, what do we do?

We fight back—with truth.

We resist—with joy.

We honor—with unity.

 

Skipping Juneteenth doesn’t protest injustice—it participates in our erasure. We cannot be complicit in silencing our own story. Not now. Not ever.

 

To celebrate Juneteenth is to inform ourselves of the brilliance and resilience that built this nation brick by brick. It is to remind each other what was taken—and to make a solemn vow that it will never be taken again.

 

So, this Juneteenth, I ask—no, I challenge—you:

 

Celebrate Boldly – Whether it’s a block party or a solo moment of reflection, show up. Be visible. Be vocal. Let your joy be a form of protest and your presence a form of power.

 

Educate Relentlessly – Learn the real story. Teach it to your children. Tell it to your friends. Post it, preach it, and protect it. From the Middle Passage to Montgomery, from Tulsa to today—let no one forget.

 

Connect Intentionally – Sit with your people. Share your stories. Reclaim your narrative. Laugh, cry, heal, and grow together. No one can rewrite what we’re actively writing for ourselves.

 

Tell Our Truth – When we speak our truth, out loud and in unity, no system, no government, no textbook can erase it. Our stories are our legacy, and legacies don’t live in silence.

 

Juneteenth is not just a nod to the past—it is a blueprint for the future. A sacred inheritance that reminds us: even when freedom is delayed, our dignity is not denied.

 

So let’s sing. Let’s teach. Let’s remember. Let’s gather. Let’s be great, because we were designed to be nothing less. Happy Juneteenth, family. Let’s rise.

 

Dr. Ryan E. Ross is President & CEO of the Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado.