During this holiday season, I am reminded once again of the power the institution of slavery can have. We live in a time when our society would like to forget that slavery ever existed in this country. I have heard for years that African American should just "get over it" and stop "using slavery as an excuse" for anything they don't like. I have had people tell me to my face that "You weren't a slave, and neither were your parents and your grandparents, so why should it be such a big deal to you?" This is the sort of thing you will hear often enough, from pretty much every corner of the United States. You will hear it from the very rich to the very poor, from Yuppies to Rednecks, from recent immigrants to Americans whose ancestors have been here for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Interestingly, there is actually one group of people I never seem to hear this sort of thing from.
Jews.
Why is this, you might ask? Why would a culture-wide examination of slavery and oppression be something they could relate to? No, it isn't the Palestinian issue and no, it has nothing to do with Nazi Germany and the wholesale slaughter of Jews in Europe. Try going further back into history.
The holiday season I was referring to earlier is the Passover. More than 3,000 years have gone by since the Jewish people were enslaved by the Egyptians. Even though they were able to hold onto their religion, their language, and their traditions, 116 years of grinding slavery was enough to scar an entire society. The Passover does not simply commemorate their freedom from slavery; it is a remembrance of just how horrible an experience it was for them. It is one of the most widely honored holidays among the Jewish people because it was an experience that, in many ways, defines who they are as a people today.
Fast-forward to Americans of African descent living in the Western Hemisphere in the early 21st century. Slavery for this disparate group of people lasted more than four times longer than the Egyptian enslavement of the Jews. While Jews have had 3,000 years to come to terms with what was done to them by a people they managed to escape from, African Americans still live in the country that enslaved them. They are told that 150 years should be more than enough time to "forget about it" or "get over it" by descendants of the people who either enslaved them or (for the most part) had no problem with another group of people being treated like cattle. The Jewish people were held in captivity, but retained everything that made them who they are. Captivity for them did not mean the complete destruction of their culture. African Americans have been left with almost nothing besides some physical features and a unique musical and artistic tradition to link them to their history as an independent people with a culture that defined not only who they are, but told the story of who they had been.
For those of you who are unaware, African Americans actually have their own version of the Passover; it's called "Juneteenth" or Emancipation Day. It commemorates the day (or week; Texas is a mighty big state, and it took a while for word to get around) slaves in Texas, the last state to received President Lincoln's Executive Order freeing (most) slaves in the United States, were told that they were free.
For now, most Juneteenth celebrations are little more than neighborhood parties, with larger communities sometimes marking the occasion in a more formal fashion, sponsoring guest speakers and holding conferences on culture and race. It is very much a communal kind of remembrance, full of barbecues and parties, rather than a personal one. The week-long ritual Passover has become for Jews is a much more thoughtful and somber affair.
It makes me wonder what Juneteenth will look like in a few thousand years. Will backyard barbecues become set and ritualized, a new kind of seder with specific foods served to remind those of African descent of the hardships of slavery? Will there be recitations of General Order No. 3, as it was read in Galveston Texas on June 19, 1865?
Personally, I'd appreciate it if people simply talked about the legacy of slavery and thought seriously abouts its effects. Like any trauma, talking helps. And when you are living in the aftermath of a culture-wide trauma that lasted for nearly 500 years, you're looking at a lot of soul-searching and quite a bit of talking.
Just ask the Jews.
