ALLENTOWN, Pa. — As the Juneteenth flag was raised toward the heavens, so, too, were the hopes of Salina Martinez.
“Someday … someday,” Martinez, of Allentown whispered to herself outside City Hall on Thursday afternoon.
“Someday, Juneteenth will mean what it is intended to mean: That all of us — Black, brown — will truly be equal and free. Not just with the words of law, but actually free.
"We need to fight to make sure that happens.”
Such was the central message of speakers during the flag-raising ceremony to observe the federal holiday celebration of the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans in Texas in 1865 — a full two years after President Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
“Juneteenth stands as a beacon of truth. It stands for America to confront its past honestly. We see the battles today — voting rights, criminal justice reform. Juneteenth shows (progress of) these programs are possible, but are neither inevitable nor easy.”Rev. A. Addison "Terry" Young, III, St. James AME Zion Church, Allentown
“We reflect on that day in 1865 — a day of joy, a day of tears, a day of relief,” said the Rev. A. Addison “Terry” Young III, of St. James AME Zion Church in Allentown.
“It was a day that filled the air with the gongs of freedom. But [the freed slaves] then moved into a world that denied them the fruits of their humanity.
“Juneteenth stands as a beacon of truth. It stands for America to confront its past honestly. We see the battles today — voting rights, criminal justice reform — Juneteenth shows [the progress of] these programs are possible, but are neither inevitable nor easy.”
Young closed with a quote from 19th Century abolitionist Frederick Douglass: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
'Chains broken, but we're not free'
The Rev. Gregory James Edwards, pastor of Resurrected Life Community Church in Allentown, echoed Young’s celebration of Juneteenth and the work still to be realized in racial equality among its citizens and government.
Edwards pointed an accusing finger at President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle diversity, equality and inclusion, or DEI, across the federal government.
“We raise this flag in protest. The chains [of inequality for African Americans] have been broken, but we are not free.”The Rev. Benjamin T. Hailey of Union Baptist Church in Allentown
“What we see in terms of hate and vitriol from this president and administration are folks that have never traveled or experienced the blessed nature of diversity,” he said.
“We fight against it by ensuring that folks are educated enough so that when certain misinformation is given out — in the media, by this administration and this president — people have the intellectual capital to understand.”
The Rev. Benjamin T. Hailey of Union Baptist Church in Allentown celebrated the flag-raising, but also reminded those in attendance of the work yet to be done.
“We raise this flag in protest,” he said. “The chains [of inequality for African Americans] have been broken, but we are not free.”
The Juneteenth ceremony included the presenting of proclamations by representatives of Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk and state Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton.
It also included renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Amazing Grace,” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a 1900 poem-turned-hymn often referred to as the African American National Anthem.
'Black history is American history'
Juneteenth was designated as a federal holiday by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Long a regional holiday in the South, Juneteenth rose in prominence across the country following protests that swept the world in 2020 over the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and other Black Americans.
The fractured political climate in America has given rise to a pushback against Juneteenth celebrations.
“Juneteenth is a part of American history. And today in particular is incredibly important, because we know that we are living in a politically divided land. There are some people who are making desperate attempts to erase history, specifically Black history."The Rev. Gregory James Edwards of Resurrected Life Community Church in Allentown
A series of observances and events from Oregon to South Carolina have been canceled or scaled back because of threats of safety concerns for participants and organizers.
Those threats and cancelations underscore the importance of spreading the message at celebrations such as the one in Allentown.
“Juneteenth is a part of American history,” Edwards said. “And today in particular is incredibly important, because we know that we are living in a politically divided land.
"There are some people who are making desperate attempts to erase history, specifically Black history.
“And until we as a people understand, regardless of race, that Black history is American history and the history of others who also contributed to American history, then we are doomed to our own demise.”
