Ringing In The First Taste Of Freedom

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freedom

If it happened, it has relevance. It’s part of family history and holds deep value in understanding the here and now. If you have not lived it yourself, can you truly understand? At best, you can listen and try. That goes all ways, for every and anyone.

It’s so important as mothers to share the wealth of knowledge we obtain in our lifetime. It’s even more important to admit when we do not know very much about a given topic and to teach our children the lesson to nurture a love of always seeking to learn more and genuinely wanting to.

This goes for all things in the world.

It should be especially important to want to learn and understand more about all the pieces that make your own country’s combined culture unique. We should learn, understand and appreciate all of the different facets that make up the WE.

Emancipation

So, let’s talk about Emancipation. Not Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, but May 20th, 1865. More than two years later, Tallahassee was taken by Union troops, eleven days after the end of the Civil War. It was declared that very day that the slaves were freemen. Though, it would be unfair to pretend that what followed was straightforward. The aftermath during the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) was, in fact, chaos.

Juneteenth

For context, Juneteenth, June 19th, 1865, is the day that slaves in Texas were declared free and has become the most recognized and representative day of emancipation in the United States. In Texas, it was first officially honored in 1979. Since then, many other states have adopted it as their own to recognize the end of slavery. There are celebrations all over the country, even here in Florida, though our historical records reflect otherwise.

May 20th, 1865

It is argued by historians and Black-American Floridians alike that emancipation should be observed in our State in accordance with State records. Especially because we truly do have our own day in history, and an entire group of people and their ancestral reality should not be defined by one day, out of convenience.

That day, in Florida, is May 20th.

Therefore we celebrate this day to give true meaning, depth, and understanding to the experience of black people and other non-white peoples, namely Native Indians, throughout Florida’s past.

Long after the Emancipation Proclamation, many southern states were still in periods of deep-seated rebellion. President Lincoln had been assassinated in April of 1865, so there is no doubt that by May 20th in Florida and even June 19th in Texas, there would be a long, fraught road ahead.

Some would argue it still exists, even today.

There is perhaps some validity to that, mainly because you cannot dismiss someone else’s life experiences or that of their ancestors.

Florida’s Slave Past

The Floridian black culture, historically, is complex and beautiful even with its treacherous undertones. We cannot ignore the inherent treatment of blacks and other non-whites and the road traversed in their history here in Florida, in what was the Spanish and British Territory and later the United States and then the Confederate States of America.

So here the story goes…

Enslaved Africans in Florida started with the Spaniards. Surprisingly, they later became a sort safe haven. Subsequently, it continued with the British, then the Americans, and lastly, a profit-based necessity in the Confederate States of America. The end of slavery really began to take shape in December 1865 after the passing of the 13th Amendment. Before then, it was more of an unofficial exodus of ex-slaves leaving their homes to search for relatives in other places. Local governments were in disarray. Even the Federal Government and President Andrew Johnson could not find a way to agree to decently proceed forward with simple basic rights, at the very least, for American-born citizens.

Slavery did end, but eventually, other measures were put in place to “control” the black population. In the south, it was called Black Codes. These sorts of measures required all free blacks to be employed in labor or pay a dollar to register themselves with the local town. If they failed to do so, any white man could claim them as property, which would be forcefully upheld.

Food For Thought

I could go on (and on), but I think it is important to touch on some basic truths and allow them to settle. Maybe next month, or even next year, I can share more food for thought.

The bottom line is that this is not a made-up story to pit one group against another. It is pertinent information to understand better the evolution of Black America and other non-white cultures, just as much as it is a small look into the evolution of White American culture.

Whether it is interpreted as racist or classist or more generally as superiority, it is what it is.

We must learn it, share it and not be ashamed to speak about dark times in productive ways. We cannot forget that this is part of the American tapestry.

Each one of us has a thread that is part of it. The newest threads are those of the immigrants that have come in recent years. The original threads, Native Indians, are the foundation of it. We do not get to pick and choose our ancestors or their circumstances or choices.

We are connected to them in every way, whether we want to be or not. Therefore, do we not have a responsibility to improve our present and future? Have we not a responsibility to our children to end cycles and allow them the freedom to be open and receptive to everything and everyone?

We do not have to agree, but shouldn’t we be able to have an educated discussion with healthy debate and therefore further understanding?

I think the answer is YES! What do you think?

 

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Bianca Bain Villegas
Bianca Bain Villegas arrived to Pensacola in 2015 and readily embraced the local culture and history. She and her husband feel genuinely grateful for the opportunity to raise their two young daughters here. Originally from Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia, her Caribbean heritage and worldly ideology imparted to her by her parents and extended family, largely influence the outlook she has on parenting, life and the experiences that they afford. Having family and friends that live around the world and having completed her education in London and Madrid, only furthers her love of travel, different cultures and the need to have a deeper understanding of it all. Locally, you can find Bianca actively participating in historic preservation, neighborhood action, or service in the community through civic engagement. Her belief is that nurturing a community is as important as the families we choose to raise in our homes - we get back what we put out.

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