By Albert Barnwright<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of us grow up with July 4th as the day we celebrate freedom. The flags go up, the fireworks fly, and we mark the moment our nation declared its independence. It\u2019s a proud day, and it should be. But the older I get, the more I\u2019ve come to understand that freedom in America didn\u2019t come all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Juneteenth, observed every year on June 19th, marks the day in 1865 when the last group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were told they were free\u2014more than two years after President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ll be honest\u2014it wasn\u2019t something I grew up learning about. It wasn\u2019t in the schoolbooks I read, and it wasn\u2019t a holiday that was talked about or celebrated where I\u2019m from. I had to come across it later in life, and when I did, I was grateful to learn about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because Juneteenth is, at its heart, a celebration of freedom. And that\u2019s something all of us can stand behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It doesn\u2019t take away from July 4th. It adds to the full picture of what freedom has looked like across our history. Juneteenth marks the moment when more Americans heard the words they should\u2019ve heard long before: \u201cYou are free.\u201d That\u2019s not just Black history. That\u2019s American history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t need to grow up with a tradition for it to mean something to you now. You just need to believe that freedom is worth celebrating every time it reaches someone new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So this June 19th, whether it\u2019s your first time thinking about Juneteenth or a day that\u2019s long been marked on your calendar, I hope you take a moment to reflect on what it represents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because freedom is always worth remembering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Albert<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At DIY Pole Barns, we believe in building things that last\u2014barns, communities, and values that matter. If you\u2019re planning a project and want to work with folks who care about doing things right, we\u2019re always here to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
www.DIYPoleBarns.com | 800-622-4242<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nBy Albert Barnwright<\/p>\n
Most of us grow up with July 4th as the day we celebrate freedom. The flags go …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":824,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[68,18],"class_list":["post-823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-thoughtful-thoughts","tag-holidays","tag-thoughtful-thoughts"],"yoast_head":"\n