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The words, “liberty and justice for all,” have been recited by school children across America since they were written by Francis Bellamy in 1892. But for many children of color, these words simply do not ring true.
As we celebrate Juneteenth in many states across the country, we need to determine how to make these words apply to everyone in the United States, regardless of race, color or national origin. On June 19, 1865, the Union Army finally announced Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freeing the remaining slaves in Texas. Lincoln’s proclamation was actually issued on September 22, 1862, but it took nearly three years for the news to reach Texas.
But the end of slavery was not the beginning of freedom for blacks in America. Once slavery ended, Black people were subject to a series of Jim Crow laws. These laws were designed to keep Black people from succeeding socially, politically and economically. These laws were reinforced by the Supreme Court’s 1896 decision in Plessy vs. Ferguson where the court ruled that separate but equal segregation of Black and white people was constitutional.
RELATED: Senate Passes Bill to Make Juneteenth A Federal Holiday
Vintage illustration features a group of African-Americans dancing in celebration for Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day,.
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Under Jim Crow laws, African Americans were disenfranchised by racial gerrymandering which diluted the Black vote across districts making it difficult for Black people to consolidate votes and to elect specific candidates. Banks, real estate developers, and other institutions also participated in the redlining of Black neighborhoods. In redlined districts, loans and other investments inside these neighborhoods were considered risky and therefore these communities of color remained underfunded and underdeveloped.
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