Our View: Celebrating Freedom Means Facing Facts

In the countdown to our nation’s 250th Independence Day, Washington, D.C. is awash with flag-waving patriotism, albeit with the gilded Vegas-style flare made famous — or infamous — by the Trump administration. In cities and small towns around the country, Americans are getting ready for a suitable celebration of our nation’s birth. On the Lower Cape, it promises to be a real star-spangled affair.

 There’s another independence day to celebrate before July 4, however. It’s tomorrow’s Juneteenth Independence Day, and it’s only been a national holiday for the last five years, so there are plenty of people who aren’t sure what the holiday means.

 Celebrated on June 19, Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of slavery following the Civil War, effectively freeing the last enslaved people in the Confederacy. It is observed as a celebration of Black freedom, resilience and African American culture. Locally, it will be observed again this year with a festive gathering in Drummer Boy Park.

 But it’s impossible to celebrate Juneteenth without acknowledging the shameful role that slavery plays in our national history. It’s uncomfortable to ponder the idea that some of the stately sea captains’ houses in our area were built with proceeds from the Triangle Trade economy. 

 You can’t honor history — indeed, you can’t celebrate the greatness of the American experiment in democracy — without acknowledging the dark sides of our national story. So we give a tip of the hat to U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley, who issued a ruling last week requiring the National Park Service to restore informational signs explaining the role of slavery in the development of the United States. Those signs had been removed by order of the president under the guise of promoting American dignity.
 “Preservation of historical truth and viewpoint‑neutral interpretation in public institutions is a core public interest,” Judge Kelley wrote. 

Facing difficult truths, publicly and officially, isn’t a source of shame. On the contrary, it’s one of the most magnificent achievements of this young nation of ours. Self-criticism is one of the practices that continues to make the United States — even with its current leadership — the envy of freedom-loving people around the world.

And even 250 years later, that’s something to celebrate.