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My father was an overt white supremacist who denounced the end of our ancestors' ability to enslave black people.
That being the case, unlike many people with ancestors who were enslavers, I've always had to reckon with this history in my family and figure out my own relationship to and responsibility for it.
And I've always judged white people with southern ancestry who were unwilling to do this work, too. Only while writing my book did I realize that I also had this avoidant tendency.
As a child, I adored my mom's mother without reserve. She grew up poor and I assumed my ancestors through her were never involved in slavery.
So I assigned one set of my lineages the role of "racists" and the other set the role of "not-racists." This wasn't accurate, in so many ways. Among them: my granny did say racist things, and there were enslavers in my lineages through my mother, too.
The document at the top of this thread, from a lawsuit brought in my granny's mother's line, reveals that they not only enslaved black people but fought with each other over who had the right to enslave them.
I don't know whether sharing this history is an appropriate way for a white person to observe Juneteenth.
But reflecting on my responsibility for the ways some of my ancestors (and many people’s ancestors) stole the freedom of the ancestors of black Americans who are celebrating today feels important in the larger picture of what comes next.
I'm grateful for @DrIbram’s teaching that antiracism is a continual journey, not a destination, and I'm committed to continuing to learn the best way to follow that path, whether the racism is in me or in others, or both.
