Celebrating Legacy: Honoring the Past, Building the Future
There is no greater tribute than honoring those who came before us — pioneers, trailblazers, freedom fighters, builders of a future that was not yet seen through their own eyes — still they saw what could be. They felt. They hoped. They believed in the invisible. They believed in YOU! A generation and a people yet to be born.
Since June 19, 1866, Juneteenth has been celebrated, marking the first anniversary of the day Black Americans in Texas learned of their freedom, nearly two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation — the ending of slavery in the United States. However, Juneteenth is more than a history lesson, more than a holiday — it’s a heartbeat, a rhythm, and a torch, passed from generation to generation, burning with the sacrifices, dreams, and unyielding hope of those who fought for freedom and equality for all people.
Juneteenth is a time of remembrance, celebration, and commitment to progress that includes all of us, especially those whose blood, sweat, and tears built the very foundation we stand on today, ensuring their legacy remains alive and breathing. The likes of those whose contributions have extended the pavement we continue to tread upon. Our forefathers and mothers started this journey so many generations before us to guarantee that our freedom and equality will continue to live on through us and by us.
Individuals like New York Times investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winner Creator of The 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones, who said in her 2024 speech at the New York Times Center, “Black people have played a vital role as the perfectors of this democracy, that America would not be America if it weren’t for slavery. We all must acknowledge that it is Black people who have fought more than any other group to make the ideals laid out in the Constitution a reality.” [Lavin]
Just like Nikole Hannah-Jones, countless others continue the fight — through education, preservation, and truth-telling — to ensure that the story of a people is never buried, forgotten, or erased. It is the duty of us all to continue to educate, proclamate, and “get straight” the history of a past generation whose story cannot be blotted out or unraveled from the fabric of American history, built by their own hands.
It is up to you and a country whose belief is that all men and women are created equal through historical reflections and modern-day initiatives that continue to honor all who forged a path for the same fairness that has brought all of us this far, sharing the same rugged routes that leads to a land still flowing with milk and honey for all who still dare to believe.
Do you still believe? Will you rise to carry the torch of liberty forward? It is with honor that you ensure these sacrifices and triumphs remain an enduring force echoing in the future hearts and minds of generations to come.
Charlene A. Berry is a conversationalist and a scribe at heart. Her passion has taken her into the world of faith and inspiration, where she chats and writes about some of today’s most prolific authors, pastors, and entertainers in music, films, faith, and more. From her former years as Contemporary Multicultural Romance writer, to her present position as a book editor and contributor to Link2Us Magazine, Charlene continues to share faith and inspiration to the masses.