Reclaim the revolutionary legacy of Juneteenth: Continue the War Against 
Amerikan Slavery

by MC53 & MC206

June 19, 2000 marks the 135th anniversary of Juneteenth. This holiday marks the 
slave emancipation in the last state to free slaves -- more than two years after 
the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth-related celebrations are 
increasing throughout Amerika, but much of the festivities fall along the lines 
of integrationism, assimilationism, or cultural nationalism.

MIM commemorates the struggle of the former slaves and their allies to win and 
defend liberation. For Karl Marx, the Amerikan Civil War was "the one great 
event of contemporary history." Marx thought that a free market for labor was 
better than previous arrangements that resulted in bonding or outright slavery. 
For its own reasons, a sector of the Amerikan bourgeoisie was on the right side 
of history during the Amerikan Civil War and reconstruction. But it was the 
former slaves themselves who fought most tenaciously for freedom. The 
bourgeoisie eventually betrayed them when their political power became to much 
of a threat.

While remembering the struggles of the past, we also look to the future. We note 
that slavery continues within Amerikan prisons today.

Our world-view distinguishes MIM from others celebrating Juneteenth. 
Fundamentally, our celebrations and struggles are rooted in internationalism. 
Education about slavery should emphasize the fact that slavery (along with 
genocide and land-grabbing) formed the foundation for the white settler nation's 
accumulation of wealth and power. Without slavery, the white settler nation 
would not have amassed its wealth. Similarly, our celebrations of Juneteenth 
recognize that Amerika's continued wealth (including increased wealth within the 
Black nation) comes off of the backs of the Third World masses.(1)

Juneteenth mixed-bag celebrations

In an Internet search, MIM could not find one Juneteenth organizing site which 
mentioned either the need to continue to fight slavery or imperialism. There was 
not one site that mentioned Amerika's deathgrip on Third World nations and the 
similarities between Amerikan slavery up to 1865 and current imperialist 
exploitation.

In one example of integrationism within Juneteenth organizing sites, the 
National Juneteenth Museum writes: "Blacks do celebrate the Fourth of July in 
honor of American Independence Day, but history reminds us that blacks were 
still enslaved when the United States obtained its independence." And, 
"Juneteenth has come to symbolize for many African-Americans what the fourth of 
July symbolizes for all Americans -- Freedom."(2) And the Berkeley Juneteenth 
Association argues that the Emancipation Proclamation should be celebrated as 
highly as Amerika's Constitution and Bill of Rights, because they "exemplify 
America's passion for freedom."(3)

We should celebrate Juneteenth as a symbol of the end of widespread slavery in 
United Snakes. But we should recognize that national oppression still exists 
within u.$. borders. Not only are Blacks oppressed, but so are the First 
Nations, Latinos, and others. And of course beyond u.$. borders, the majority of 
humynity lives in nations oppressed by imperialism. Hence, integration of 
formerly oppressed people into Amerika only adds to the power of the United 
Snakes as it battles oppressed nations world-wide. MIM considers Amerika's 
celebration of independence hypocritical, because it is fundamentally dependent 
upon Third World labor. As internationalists, MIM does not isolate this holiday 
or any freedoms within the United Snakes from the world context.

Some of the Juneteenth websites MIM found promote a mystical approach to 
political struggle. The Juneteenth National Museum says: "The purpose of the 
holiday is to promote and enhance the unity and spiritual strength that brought 
Africans out of slavery and sustained their posterity to the present day."(2) 
Amerikans celebrate MLK Jr. Day and attribute the political gains for the Black 
nation in the 1960s and 1970s to MLK's pacifism. Such promotion of spirituality 
or pacifism ignores the militant Black liberation movements -- with the Black 
Panther Party at the forefront -- which forced concession for the Black nation 
from the u.$. government.

There is nothing mystical about ending oppression. The danger of spreading 
mysticism is not merely about MLK or Juneteenth. Spreading mysticism in any 
situation clouds the minds of the masses in how they analyze and solve any 
situation. To concretely bring about liberation, we must not only educate about 
history and material facts, but also we must teach scientific thinking. Only 
genuine science will lead to liberation, it is the triumph of organized masses 
that end oppression.

Juneteenth & Amerikkkan hypocrisy

Texas -- the last state to end slavery -- is the first and only state to 
recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. This is something that reformists 
wish to see more wide spread. Ironically, Texas is also the state with the 
second largest prison industrial complex and the state with the highest death 
row executions -- both of these affecting Black people disproportionate to their 
numbers in the population.

And though Texas now recognizes the holiday of Juneteenth, the state's prison 
population faces some of the most draconian prison labor conditions in Amerika. 
Prisoners in Texas are rarely paid for their labor. Pushed by settler unions 
seeking less international competition, the United Snakes chastises countries 
about labor conditions, but ignores conditions within its own prisons. The 13th 
Amendment to the U.$. Constitution abolishes slavery. But the amendment's clause 
regarding prisoners allows for slavery in prisons.

Amerika's prison population is now over two million. The Black population in 
Amerika is about 12%. The percentage of Black people in federal prisons is 40%. 
The percentage of Black people in state prisons or jails is about 48% (as of the 
last complete report by the Department of Justice, 1996). And Black people made 
up 34% of the population on probation as of 1996. Disproportionate 
representation in prison means that Black people are also disproportionately 
affected by the 13th Amendment's allowance for slavery in the case of 
incarceration.

There are a number of reasons for the disparities in incarceration rates between 
Blacks and whites. Black people are stopped disproportionately by police, are 
not adequately represented at trials, and the trials have majority white settler 
juries and white settler judges. Despite being convicted for the same crimes, 
Blacks are generally sentenced to longer terms in prison compared to whites. 

Sentence average in months for Blacks and whites(4)

Offense category:     Sentence Avg     Sentence Avg

                        for whites       for Blacks

All                           46.7              90.2

Violent                       78.0             100.1

Property - Fraud              22.0              22.3

Property - Other              37.6              35.7

Drug                          61.8             109.1

Misdemeanors                  11.5              21.1

The prison industry also spins off other service-related employment in rural 
white towns. Additionally, with increasing profits from prisoner slave labor 
going to private corporations and to state industries the incentive to lock up 
prisoners increases. Those celebrating Juneteenth must recognize that slave 
labor is still alive and well.

Beyond tokenism

Many Black bureaucrat capitalists and imperialist politicians seek to gain the 
support of the Black bourgeoisie -- large and small -- by promoting tokenist 
policies. Some politicians are willing to push proposals for discussion of 
reparations for slavery (see article in this issue). Others are willing to 
promote the formalization of holidays like Juneteenth. But these measures in and 
of themselves do nothing to address the day-to-day oppression of the Black 
masses, especially the Black lumpenproletariat (e.g. prisoners).

And in and of themselves these tokenist policies and celebrations do nothing to 
end the oppression of other groups, inside and outside of u.$. borders. 
Regarding reparations: "The debt owed by the oppressor nations to oppressed 
nations of the internal semi-colonies is in the trillions. The problem for our 
analysis of the class structure is that the oppressor nation is now paying it 
back through economically integrating the semi-colonies with imperialism: Now 
the internal semi-colonies appropriate the labor of the Third World with the 
help of Uncle Sam. Thus the payback is not with Euro-Amerikan labor but with 
Third World labor."(1) For this reason, MIM organizes in the interests of the 
international proletariat.

Notes: 1. "On the internal class structures of the internal semi-colonies" by 
MC5 available at: 
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/5973/internalclass3.htm or send a 
self-addressed 55 cent stamped envelope to MIM for copy.

2. http://www.x-change.com/juneteenth/info.html

3. http://www.chumpchange.com/Juneteenth/History.htm

4. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cfjs98.pdf