The president of the Center for Black Equity, a Black LGBTQ organization, says we should accept the reality that Juneteenth sales — much like Presidents Day sales, for example — will become baked into the retail calendar. “We live in a capitalist society.'
It’s been only a year since Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, was designated a federal holiday. But there’s already growing concern about whether it’s being honored in the right way by corporations and consumers alike.
“This is a day of profound weight and profound power, a day in which we remember the moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery took on the country and continues to take,” Biden said last year of Juneteenth. “‘We should celebrate in a mindful way, but also in a way that insists we keep working to create the country we want this country to become.’”
It’s clear that some lines may have already been crossed, particularly in corporate America. Companies looking to mark the holiday with merchandise offerings or other promotions have faced backlash. Beyond issues involving merchandise, there’s the larger concern that Juneteenth could become just another holiday whose meaning is lost altogether and turns into an excuse to relax or shop. Think how Memorial Day is more associated with the start of summertime fun than with remembering those who died defending our country.
“The deal is it’s not about Juneteenth,” he said. “It’s about what happens the other 11 months of the year.”
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