Thoughts on the Passage of the Juneteenth Bill and the Opposition

Yesterday the House of Representatives approved making Juneteenth a national holiday by a vote of 415 to 14. What are we to make of the 14 Republican Congressmen who voted against recognizing Juneteenth, and Black Emancipation? Let’s look at who they are:

Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn.
Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif.
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas
Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.
Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif.
Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.
Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga.

First, all are white men. Second, half come from the states of the old Confederacy. One other, Thomas Massie, is from Kentucky where slavery only ended in December 1865 when the 13th Amendment was ratified. At the time of ratification, Kentucky had more slaves than all other states combined.

The bizarre statement from Matt Rosendale of Montana explaining his vote against the holiday says a lot about the thinking of the opponents of Juneteenth:

“Let’s call an ace an ace. This is an effort by the Left to create a day out of whole cloth to celebrate identity politics as part of its larger efforts to make Critical Race Theory the reigning ideology of our country.  Since I believe in treating everyone equally, regardless of race, and that we should be focused on what unites us rather than our differences, I will vote no…”

We are all adults here. We all know that there is no phrase “Let’s call and ace an ace.” The phrase is “Let’s call a spade a spade.” That is the phrase Rosendale wants those reading his statement to think of, with its obvious racist connotations (“spade” is a racist slang for a Black person).

Juneteenth was created by enslaved African Americans in Texas in the 1860s. Contrary to Representative Rosendale’s implication, they could not have known about Critical Race Theory since it was not even invented until more than a century later. I suppose he thinks that the yearning of the enslaved for freedom was a Left Wing Plot.

Rosendale says that he believes in “treating everyone equally, regardless of race” and says that is why he is voting no! Wasn’t ending the enslavement of Black people the first step on the long and unfinished road to “treating everyone equally, regardless of race”? Why can’t all Americans celebrate that?

I have written a number of articles on Juneteenth over the years, and when I post them I inevitably get racist comments not all that different, though less couched in “polite” language, from Rep. Rosendale’s statement. The comments claim that any focus on African Americans is “divisive.” They also tell me that Juneteenth is “for them,” meaning Blacks, not for “ordinary Americans” meaning whites. They claim the holiday was the product of “East Coast Professors,” and that it is a modern made-up invention. The marginalization of non-whites is strong in these comments.

I have given a variety of responses to these white nationalist remarks. Now when I see them, I just point out how marginalized the commenter is. If every Republican senator, including the most reactionary, gave unanimous consent for the holiday, and if nearly every Republican in the House voted for Juneteenth, it is clear that the celebration is not marginal, its opponents are.

Let them stew in their own bile and be damned.

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