NJCLC Statement By Dr. Myers
JUNETEENTH, A TIME OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE HORRORS OF THE MAAFA IN AMERICA
By Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
January 30, 2005
Sponsors of the Annual:
National Day of Reconciliation & Healing From the Legacy of Slavery
National Juneteenth Black Holocaust "Maafa" Memorial Service
"3rd Friday in June"
Lincoln Memorial - Washington, DC
"Most gatherings are decidedly upbeat, but the sobering reason for the holiday has also been part of Juneteenth's growth. Dr. Ronald Myers, the leader of a movement to make Juneteenth a national holiday, says June 19 should be an annual remembrance of the horrors of slavery.
"We never got our apology, so we need this holiday to remind us that we must not forget," said Dr. Myers, who spoke yesterday at a Juneteenth event at the Capitol led by Representative Danny K. Davis, Democrat of Illinois." New York Times, 6/19/04
As we were reminded about the horrors of the Jewish Holocaust during the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in Germany during WWII, many African-Americans are reminded of our own tragic history of slavery, the middle passage and the lynching and murders of our people before and after the civil war. We ponder as to why so little attention has been given to our own history of death and destruction in America. In response, we have embraced the term "Maafa", a Kiswahili term meaning "Disaster" or "Terrible Occurrence", to tell our own story about our enslavement and the sustained attempt to dehumanize us.
Juneteenth is an ideal time for the remembrance of the Maafa in America. Since the year 2000 at the annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance, the "3rd Friday in June" has been set aside as the date for the National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Slavery and the National Juneteenth Black Holocaust "Maafa" Memorial Service, in Washington, DC (www.njclc.com).
President Bush and the national media continue to ignore the significance of Juneteenth and the Maafa in America (http://www.juneteenth.us/pressrelease7.html). Until we as African-Americans support and participate in the National Day of Reconciliation and Healing From the Legacy of Slavery and National Juneteenth Black Holocaust "Maafa" Memorial Service, whether we come to Washington, DC or have similar observances in our local communities across America, the remembrance of our own historic Maafa will continue to be ignored throughout America.
Join us in making the "3rd Friday in June" a monumental day of remembrance of our Maafa in America. We must never allow America to ignore our Maafa or our children to forget.
For information on the 4th Annual National Juneteenth Black Holocaust "Maafa" Memorial Service, the 6th Annual National Day of Reconciliation and Healing from the Legacy of Slavery, the 6th Annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH 2005 National Holiday Observance and the National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign, contact Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D. at 662-247-1471, 662-392-2016, 202-331-8864, or e-mail: MyersFound@aol.com or web sites: www.Juneteenth.us and www.19thofJune.com.
top