Dear Friends and Neighbors
Today June 21, is the 57th anniversary of murder of three fearless Freedom Riders in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
Since Friday I have had the opportunity to take a look at the Juneteenth Flag and jot down my responses. I would like to share this if I may.
I am very glad this weekend brought us much to be grateful for, especially a high point was when President Biden signed the Billing to Law and created a Landmark National Holiday. He went down on one knee to welcome 94 yo Grandmother of the Juneteenth to white House. Ms. Opal Lee is an untiring courageous Texas Activist. Biden got down on one knee to welcome the 94-year-old 'grandmother' of Juneteenth to the White House (yahoo.com)
This image in the historic context of the establishment of a National holiday and the Video of President Obama singing Amazing Grace at the Church to commemorate the Martyrdom of Emmanuel Nine I shared this video in my last mailing are most heartwarming and spiritually satisfying especially because there is silken skein connecting the events we are commemorating then when Mr Biden was V-P and now when Mr Biden is President and an eminent African American- Asian Woman is the V-P of our United States.
Mother Pollard’s words resonate with me in the context of this 400-year long struggle When asked about how she was coping with having to walk to work every day,[Birmingham Bus boycott- that launched Dr. Kings Satya graha- Civil rights movement she said “My feets is tired, but my soul is rested.” This is recalled by Dr. King in his speech I have provided.
These are extremely moving reminders of the great sacrifice made by African Americans as they bore the brunt of the struggle for achieving Equity, right to Self -determination, “and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” that was promised on 09 17 1787 .
I am sharing a description of the Juneteenth Flag and my reflections on the symbolism. What does it say to you folks? This attachment includes the text of most memorable speech, “Our God is Marching On” delivered at the triumphant conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March on, March 26, 1965, when he focused our attention on the ARC of the Moral Universe that demands our unremitting attention and unrelenting focus if we are to bend it towards Justice. Our History makes it cannot happen on its own accord.
The Juneteenth event in 1865 demonstrates starkly and bleakly that 2 and ½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed the Civil Rights of all descendents of slaves was not protected as it ought have been according to the Constitution.
Even after the XIV Amendment was ratified in 1868, their rights were not affirmed or for that matter especially after the XV Amendment[1870] their disenfranchised state was not remedied. For that matter even while we are rejoicing the Commemoration of the Juneteenth Event and you reading this letter there aggressive malign efforts to disenfranchise individuals constituting marginalized BIPOC which was protected by the XV Amendment and CRA of 1964 and VRA of 1965.
Imagine this picture for a minute, I have many times… After reading Dr. B. Stoute’s second or third slide and listening to her presentation on Wednesday 06 16 21 and reading about some of her work I was motivated to gather resources, organize my thoughts, and create the documents and accompanying letter in time to share or the weekend. I admire her work and her ability to convey her passion and deep insights I am profoundly grateful to SHH to bring this caliber of CME events.
I welcome your responses. Please share as you see fit.
All the best.
Velandy Manohar, MD
PS: I will glad to share the previous email with the 4 attachments that I sent at end of last week:
Racism- 1. What is Juneteenth? – marks the end of Slavery in the United States
2. Juneteenth Prayer
3. Racism: President Barack Obama sings Amazing Grace
4. Racism: June 17th Church Assassinations.
5. Racism-Juneteenth Flag Symbolism and connections to Dr.MLK Jr speech in Montgomery, Alabama , “Our God is Marching On.” VM
Additional Resources:
1. a Birmingham Church Bombing - HISTORY
b. Montgomery Bus Boycott - Facts, Significance & Rosa Parks - HISTORY
2. a. Murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner - Wikipedia
b. The 1981 Lynching that Bankrupted an Alabama KKK - HISTORY
c. Emmett Till and 4 Black Americans Whose Killings Provoked Outrage and Activism | HISTORY Channel
d. The People's Grocery Lynchings (Thomas Moss, Will Stewart, Calvin McDowell) (lynchingsitesmem.org)
e. An Iconic Lynching in the North - America's Black Holocaust Museum (abhmuseum.org) [email protected]; [email protected] Dr. Cameron the founder is a Lynching Survivor
3. a. The Unsolved Mystery of the First People Killed During the Civil Rights Movement - HISTORY
b. Florida Teen Trayvon Martin Shot and Killed - HISTORY
4. a. Civil Rights Movement Timeline - Timeline & Events - HISTORY
b. Six Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement - HISTORY
c. Did World War II Launch the Civil Rights Movement? - HISTORY
d. When Black Nurses Were Relegated to Care for German POWs - HISTORY
5. a. One of the Last Slave Ship Survivors Describes His Ordeal in a 1930s Interview - HISTORY
b. The Atlantic Slave Trade Continued Illegally in America Until the Civil War - HISTORY
c. Descendants of Last Slave Ship Still Live in Alabama Community - HISTORY
Velandy Manohar, MD