Source: Xinhuanet
June 19th was the Emancipation Day of the Black Slaves in the United States. That night, an open-air music festival was held in a commercial district of the capital, Washington, . "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Suddenly there was a gunshot, and people screamed and ran away. According to police reports afterwards, one person was killed and three others were injured in the shooting. The black boy who was killed, Chase Lorenzo Poole, was only 15 years old and lived nearby.
This was originally a traditional holiday for African Americans, but the violence once again brought them grief and cast a thick shadow on the Emancipation Day.
Emancipation Day is not worthy of its name
Emancipation Day is also called Emancipation Day or Freedom Day in the United States. June 19, 1865, the last group of black slaves in Texas, USA, gained freedom from slavery. This day is therefore regarded as the day that marks the final end of slavery in the United States. African Americans have celebrated the holiday since the late 19th century, but it was not until last year that the U.S. Congress passed an act to make it a federal holiday.
However, this national holiday in the United States is full of ironies. For example, many Americans have started discussions on social media about who can really enjoy this holiday. A black man named Mitchum believes that in a capitalist country like the United States, low-income blacks may not be able to take vacations at all, and they have to work on this day to serve white people who have paid vacations.
In Texas, where Emancipation Day originated, a bill was passed last year that prohibited school teachers from discussing "racial issues" with students in the classroom. This made teachers confused about how to interpret this holiday. An adjunct lecturer at the School of Education at American University said: "On the one hand, we have to introduce (to students) that this is a holiday, but on the other hand, we are not allowed to introduce the details of this holiday, which is contradictory."
In addition, more Americans pointed out on social media that it is ironic that members of Congress overwhelmingly support the establishment of Emancipation Day as a federal holiday, but have stalled on the real issue of eliminating racial discrimination and injustice.
African Americans are still violently targeted
The change from African American Remembrance Day to a federal holiday is obviously related to the Black Lives Matter protests against racism and police violence that broke out across the United States starting in May 2020.
On May 29, 2020, protesters confronted the police in New York, USA. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Ying
However, the situation is not as cold as a day. Racial discrimination and violence against African Americans still exist in large quantities. It is difficult to change anything in just one holiday.
Just about a month ago, on May 14, a mass shooting occurred at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, USA, killing 10 people and injuring 3 others. The gunman was white and the dead were all African Americans. New York State Governor Cathy Hochul described the tragedy as a "horrible shooting by a white supremacist."
This is the supermarket where the shooting occurred in Buffalo, New York, USA on May 14. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Zhang Jie)
Everhart, the mother of one of the injured in the shooting, said at the hearing that racial discrimination in the United States has a long history, and claiming "freedom" and "equality" is just self-deception. "The United States is inherently a violent (country), and we are such a country. The United States is built on violence, hatred and racism."
Everhart's accusation hit the nail on the head. In the United States, racism is comprehensive, systemic, and ongoing. Statistics show that in 2020, police in the United States shot and killed 1,127 people, and African Americans were three times more likely to be killed by police than white people. From 2013 to 2020, about 98% of the police officers involved were not charged with a crime, and even fewer police officers were convicted.
Racial discrimination is deeply embedded in the fabric of American society.
In addition to being violently targeted, the economic status of African Americans is also worrying. "The New York Times" pointed out that today, most African Americans are still poor.According to a survey by the Federal Reserve, the median wealth of black households in 2019 was only $24,100, while the median wealth of white households was $142,500.
Kevin Blank, an educator from Washington, said when participating in this year's Emancipation Day: "In 1865, slavery was considered to have ended. But today, the problem of racism still exists, and racism is deeply rooted in this country, so we are still facing struggles and struggles, which is unfair to us."
In the face of the stubborn racial discrimination that is deeply rooted in the fabric of American society, the designation of Emancipation Day as a federal holiday is obviously only a superficial appeasement, and its symbolic significance far exceeds its actual significance. Gun violence and the gap between rich and poor are still more reflected among African Americans. Inequality in resource distribution in important areas such as education and employment is still significant, and substantive changes are far from coming. For today's United States, only by taking off the mask of "human rights defender" and facing its own long-standing human rights situation can the problem be truly solved.
Planning: Liu Jiawen
Executive planning: Yang Dingdu
Coordinator: Bi Qiulan Liu Xiaojun
Editor: Wu Yinan
Proofreading: Xue Bili
Produced by Xinhuanet Overseas Communication Center
Produced by Xinhua News Agency International Communication Integration Platform
