Juneteenth celebrations have become more widespread throughout Michigan in recent years, especially after the day representing Black freedom was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.
But for E. Hill De Loney, the importance of educating people about Black history, heritage and culture spans decades.
She helped organize Flint’s first Juneteenth celebration in 1972.
De Loney, now 83, said she felt empowered to educate the public about Black history and Juneteenth shortly after she learned about it as a teenager in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where segregation was still present.
“My dad would say, ‘Education is not for you. The education, you have to get it, but you gotta share it with someone else,” De Loney said in an interview with MLive.
The same message that De Loney shared then is still shared now.
“When any of us are not free, none of us are free,” she said. “So, we will try to get free together.
“History never changes. Culture does.”
Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 because that is the date in 1865 that slaves in the South were told about the Emancipation Proclamation that was issued by President Abraham Lincoln two and a half years earlier.
Fifty years after one of the first city-wide Juneteenth celebrations in Michigan, Loney is keeping the fight for freedom alive.
The woman whom many call the mother of Black history and culture, De Loney knows that the fight to educate everyone about Black history continues even following Juneteenth’s recognition as a federal holiday.
“We are moving further along the road to freedom,” she said. “We are still on the road to freedom.”
In the 1990s, small red ribbons were passed out to Juneteenth attendees to be worn in remembrance of the blood shed by hundreds of Black people in their struggle for freedom. Most of the events were upbeat and in celebration, but some were solemn to recognize those who’ve died in the fight.
“Our goal is to say ‘We are the survivors of those who would not die,’” De Loney said in an interview with The Flint Journal in 1995. “It is not a matter of whether we shall survive, but it is a matter of what kind of survivors we shall be.’’
As the celebration has grown to a weeks-worth of events, De Loney has now passed the reigns on to the younger generation.
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De Loney told DeWaun Robinson, who now heads the Juneteenth board, that the knowledge and understanding of Black history must be passed on to younger generations when first teaching him about the holiday.
Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed it into law.
Many Black Michigan residents have celebrated the holiday for decades, but it only became an official state holiday in 2005.
Juneteenth recognition has continued to grow across the nation in recent years, as the public’s understanding of race increases.
The public’s acceptance of the holiday doesn’t change its importance, Robinson said.
“I smile because I was made aware of this 10 years ago. It was just as important to me 10 years ago as it is important to me today,” Robinson said. “I am elated to see the world embrace Juneteenth and not just make it a national holiday, but about the sacrifices. It gives us another opportunity to have constructive conversation.”
To Flint organizers Robinson and De Loney, education always remains at the front of the conversation regarding Juneteenth.
“The key is that our children know who they are,” De Loney said.
Robinson, who leads Flint’s Black Lives Matter chapter, tells people that Black history is American history.
“I’ve always knew that there was something special about the Black culture that I come from, but when you are not understanding of the contributions you made to civilization, then it is just a thought. When you really learn about the (impact), you learn you have to do your part.”
Read more at The Flint Journal:
Juneteenth officially becomes a Michigan court holiday
Juneteenth celebrations planned across Michigan as awareness of holiday grows
Flint celebrates Juneteenth, adopts it as official holiday
Juneteenth celebrations in Flint unites community with music, parade and fellowship
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