June 19, 2019

When I was a child growing up in cotton country in North Texas Juneteenth was a word I heard spoken usually with a bit of a smirk.  Did my Dad think it was a joke?  I finally asked what it was and he said it is a day "Ni*****" celebrate getting free.  Yes, he said the n word.  Daddy was a sort of closet racist.  He would not eat some place where blacks were cooks.  As a teen I would argue with Daddy that blacks were equal to us in every way.  He said, "Kid, maybe someday everybody will feel that way but not now.  I just can't.  It was not the way I was raised."

Mom's dad would have the black family that worked for him come in and eat with the family.  Mom did her best to not be racist.  Her brothers and sister did not try.  While the brothers were somewhat better about it, my sweet Aunt Opal was horribly racist.  She used the 'n' word till her dying day.  Guess Daddy was right about old habits and attitudes die hard.  Cause my aunt's girls show some prejudice, too. 

A recent remake of one episode each of  "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" put a mirror up to society.  How far have we come?  I live in an apartment complex that is diverse.  All races and creeds can be seen in any one day as I walk.  The area where our son lives is very diverse.  As I drive slowly for DJ the granddog to look for squirrels I pass families out walking.  Or bike riding.  Some are playing games or shooting baskets.  Asian, Latino, African American and the list goes on are represented in visible numbers. 

As a kid the east side of McKinney was considered colored town.  Yes, many referred to the area using the n word.  That side of McKinney contained the only school for the entire county where blacks could receive an education.  That county was and is  886 square miles (2,290 km2).  I do not know if buses were provided for the children of color.  Can  you imagine travelling 25 miles each way to get to school each day?  This segregation ended while I was in high school.  Most schools 'complied'.  However, many did not.  Click here to read an article about some of those districts.  Again, old habits and attitudes die hard.

Prejudice is such a waste of energy.  I am deeply prejudiced toward persons of wealth.  Still working on that shortfall.  While I would like to think I do not hold a prejudice toward persons of color, I do not have a minority friend.  I do not know what it is like to be black, Asian or any other ethnic group.  I, also, do not know what it is like to be a man, a dog, a cat or a bear.  That does not mean I cannot respect and love those that are different than me.  The diversity is just a reality.   Just hoping that some day the diversity is embraced instead of feared.

In the mean time I think I will celebrate each small step forward.  So happy Juneteenth!   Here are a few more websites you might enjoy visiting:

• https://www.juneteenthcentraltexas.com/
• https://austin.curbed.com/maps/austin-juneteenth-parade-party-things-to-do#content
• https://glasstire.com/2019/06/17/celebrate-juneteenth-across-texas/
• https://www.kut.org/post/photos-austin-commemorates-end-slavery-annual-juneteenth-parade

Riders on the Miss Juneteenth float wave at spectators along the route of the parade in East Austin on Saturday.

GABRIEL C. PÉREZ / KUT

Ya'll take care and thanks for stopping by for a visit.