Juneteenth!

I am a firm believer that Juneteenth, the celebration of the announcement of The Emancipation Proclamation, should be a real holiday. And when I mean "real," I mean government offices should be closed and we shouldn't have to go to work. Presidents' Day? Columbus Day? What did Columbus do that hadn't already been done by a bunch of Vikings? Heck, some people* even think the Basques beat Columbus to the New World.

The problem is that the very nature of Juneteenth means you can't just stick it on the third Monday of the month. The "teenth" is right in the name. Celebrating it on the 21st would be madness. (This is what happens when a clever portmanteau gets out of hand.**) And with July 4th right around the corner***, weekday holidays are at a premium.

Still, Juneteenth is the best. When you think of some of the ridiculous things we celebrate, praising the end of slavery maybe should get more attention. It's kind of a big deal!

And it was big deal to the Marion chapter of the NAACP. They invited us out to a community event filled with local singers and rappers, grilled meats, and celebrating the freedom that they didn't have only 145 years ago. A common theme was that as far as the African-American community had come, there was still plenty left to fight for. People spoke about the need for prison reform, the need to help the mentally ill, the need for health care. Erin and I felt right at home.

And an event with door prizes wouldn't be complete without Erin winning some goodies. She left with a fancy shmancy water bottle and an Ohio State t-shirt. I left full of ribs and brats. It was a lot of fun and a great reminder to appreciate our freedom and liberty.

*That is one of the best books I have ever read. Highly recommended. Not just to people from a spit of land named after fish like I am. Recommended to all. A great read.

**I think the trick here is to change the name to Emancipation Day. Freedom Day is too vague. It needs to remain slavery specific. Write your legislators! Make the holiday happen!

***YAY!