Several users responded that their churches did. “Yes, in Boise, Idaho no less. Grateful for our pastor,” said one. “Yes! I was so happy to see them weave Juneteenth in with our regularly-scheduled series,” said another. “The theme worked out so well.”
“Unfortunately, no,” replied user Melvin E. Edwards.
A pastor from Nebraska said, “We are an all white church in a small town that is 98% white. Honestly, it is just not relevant to us even if I did make a point to celebrate holidays in church.” User Donna Hildebrand responded, “It is relevant. White nationalism is growing, and has really helped ruin evangelicalism (with lots of support by right wing news media and the former guy.) My granddaughter is biracial, and our close friends are Asian Americans. Violence against minorities is still here.”
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User Darryl L. Forbes, who is Black, also replied to the pastor: “Our church is a ‘Bible is the infallible word of God’ church. Many of our congregations are white. But our leadership sent a message to pastors acknowledging Juneteenth on the grounds of ‘Rejoicing with those who rejoice.’ That meant a lot to me.”
User A. W. Mosely commented, “I’m an all white man, and it was very relevant to me, because we had a brilliant communicator who gave us the full nuanced history surrounding Juneteenth and the resilient faith involved. Educating white people on black (and shared) history is not irrelevant or a waste of time.”
User Jamie Brand responded to Opelt with some reflections on how Americans observe Juneteenth in contrast to how they observe Father’s Day, which fell on the same day this year. “We were busy celebrating Father’s Day,” she said. “Even though the events celebrated by Juneteenth predate the ‘origin’ of Father’s Day, we haven’t created traditions yet that celebrate Juneteenth since it became a federal holiday in 2021. Juneteenth should be more important than a ‘commercial’ holiday since it commemorates historical events in the USA, but Father’s Day is celebrated worldwide. Thank you for asking about this… It’s made me really stop and think.”
Christians Leaders Weigh In on Juneteenth
Jemar Tisby, author of “The Color of Compromise” and “How to Fight Racism,” posted a video of President Biden acknowledging the importance of Juneteenth, and said, “I appreciate this gesture from POTUS to acknowledge #Juneteenth. Glad he mentioned ‘slavery’ but no mention of ‘Black people’ or ‘African Americans.’ Watch for such messages. We must never de-center Black people in our commemorations of Juneteenth.”
I appreciate this gesture from POTUS to acknowledge #Juneteenth. Glad he mentioned “slavery” but no mention of “Black people” or “African Americans.” Watch for such messages. We must never de-center Black people in our commemorations of Juneteenth. https://t.co/jVixphOv8s
— Jemar Tisby, PhD (@JemarTisby) June 20, 2022
