How to Celebrate Juneteenth

Is Juneteenth a holiday only for black people?

My Twitter feed this weekend is filled with all things Juneteenth. Many of the posts included reminders that Juneteenth isn’t for all people of color, only blacks; specifically the decendents of slaves. My feed was also filled with calls for white people to support blacks, by patronizing black owned businesses and advocating for reparations by sending donations via their cashapp handle. Supposedly, such actions would help our nation in its effort to struggle against our racist past and present (again, their thoughts, not mine).

My feed also contained posts from those who dismissed Juneteenth completely. A few even advocated that white people should not be allowed to celebrate Juneteenth (except for the aforementioned supporting of blacks and reparations). And, then there were the white people asking how they could or should celebrate Juneteenth.

So, what should Christians of any ethnicity think about Juneteenth? I have three thoughts.

What is Juneteenth?

First, a history lesson. Juneteenth is the commemoration of when the last black slaves were freed from the bonds of American slavery. On June 19, 1865, Union Army General, Gordon Granger, proclaimed freedom for slaves living in Texas:

The people of Texas are inf