The patriotic lyric, "Let Freedom Ring," was quoted by Dr. Martin Luther King in his famous "I Have A Dream Speech" of August 28, 1963 as he celebrated the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1863.
The news about their freedom finally arrived to slaves in Texas on June 19, 1965 two years after the US Civil War had ended. Due to the efforts of Opal Lee of Fort Worth, "Juneteenth" became a Federal holiday in 2021.
Let's celebrate Juneteenth 2024 and learn about some new free resources, and a little history on the way.
My Spanish vocabulary was recently increased by the word "encomienda." Our neighbor was shipping items to El Salvador, and the shipping truck advertised that they handled "encomiendas" to Mexico and Central America. This led to my curiosity about slavery in the other Americas.
According to my online Britannica and other resources, encomienda was a system begun in Spain in Roman times. It came into wider in the Spanish colonies in the Americas and Philippines in the 1500's wherein the indigenous people could be forced to perform labor and deliver tributes to the Spanish Crown. In other words, slavery. It was a "grant" to a conquistador, soldier, or official of a specified number of "Indios" and required them to protect them and instruct them in the Christian faith and Spanish language. The encomienda system was in effect from the early 1500's until slavery was abolished in Mexico in 1829. As Texas was a part of Mexico, slavery was also illegal there at the time, but as they were anxious for settlers, it was overlooked.
Did you know there was an underground railroad that went SOUTH into Mexico? The records are not as good, but it is estimated 3,000 - 5,000 enslaved people crossed the Rio Grande or jumped ship in Mexican ports such as Vera Cruz. Do you have unexpected Mexican or Native American DNA? This may be a reason why. Many people of Mexican descent also have Sub-Saharan African DNA as well, as the Spaniards brought slaves from Africa to the newly conquered territories. If this is true for you, turn your research South to see what you can find out about your family there.
I don't have to tell you how hard it can be to research enslaved ancestors! FamilySearch and RootsTech are offering several FREE lectures on YouTube on June 19th to supplement their existing catalog. Here is a link to get you started. They will be having extra featured articles for the month of June. FamilySearch is a free records source, you just need to open an account with an email address.
The Family History Guide is a site I have recently discovered that is a 501c3 registered charitable organization with a vast collection of videos and lessons about history. It is not affiliated with (or owned by) any of the popular subscription family history sites. It is also free; here is a link to their section on enslaved ancestors.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture has a great website with more information about the celebration of Juneteenth: https://nmaahc.si.edu/juneteenth-digital-toolkit
You can't look for information about the historical enslavement of people without coming across information about the current forms of slavery in practice around the world. Although the United Nations General Assembly condemned all forms of slavery in 1948, it is still found around the world, in the forms of forced marriage, forced service in military, forced labor (including prison labor), and child and organ trafficking.
Walkfree.Org estimates that there are 49.6 million people around the world living in modern slavery. The statistics they have gathered are staggering: "Although modern slavery affects everyone, there is no escaping the fact that it is a gendered issue. Females account for 68 per cent of all victims of forced marriage and 43 per cent of all victims of forced labour (sic)." The modern desires for quick receipt of cheaply made goods is largely to blame.
They estimate as of 2021 that 1,091,000 people are living in modern slavery in the US, most of these are prison laborers, or those performing domestic work, agriculture and farming, construction, retail, hospitality, and illicit activities, including children.
Child labor is, indeed, a world-wide problem and the United Nations designated June 12, 2024 as World Day Against Child Labor.
Let's celebrate Juneteenth this year as the major event it was in the history of the US, and as a step towards being better people. Take advantage of the free lectures and records that are increasingly available to learn about our families! But let us also keep marching like Opal Lee does every year to Let Freedom Ring far and wide! Below there is a link to a YouTube video of Aretha Franklin's performance of "My Country Tis Of Thee" at the inauguration of Barack Obama for your enjoyment, as well as the written transcript and a recording of Dr. King's "I Have A Dream Speech" in its entirety.
God Bless America.
I'd love to help you with your brick wall, send me an email for a free evaluation. Wishing you a Summer filled with rejuvenation and discoveries!
Regards,
Leslie Ryan
“World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.” ― Dalai Lama XIV
No compensation is received for any links or references herein. No copyright infringement is intended.
Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech" in its entirety including a recording of the speech and a transcript, from NPR's "Talk of the Nation."
Further reading:
The Real Opal Lee https://www.opalswalk2dc.com/
The Encomedia System of Spanish colonie
Texas-Mexico Underground Railroad
Slavery in Latin America
Free Juneteenth lectures about African American Research
Modern Day Slavery around the World