By Roy Douglas Malonson

Sam Pollard stated earlier this year that, “Black people had been seen as chattel for many years and just because someone says that we’re free doesn’t mean everyone bought into it.”

I do have to agree with him, because I am one that definitely didn’t buy into it. As I sat back and watched so many familiar faces from neighbors, classmates, friends and associates gather together to celebrate ‘Juneteenth’ by way of Sylvester Turner’s Acres Homes Juneteenth Parade; I was delighted to see so many of our people gathered together for such a cause. Thus, my mind was taken back to the true meaning of the celebration: Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration that commemorates the supposed end to slavery in the United States of America. The event dates back to June 19, 1865. This date in American history reflects the day that the Union soldiers landed in Galveston; under the leadership of Major General Gordon Granger revealing the news that the war had ended and all slaves were free.

However, many African-Americans do not realize that this was not the actual day that Blacks were literally declared to be free from the bondage of slavery. Now how ironic is it that the official pronouncement that Blacks were announced as free was on January 1, 1863.

I have never been a Math wizard but even at first glance I can see that, there is a major discrepancy between the official pronouncement and the actual commemoration as we know it.

It took over two and a half years later for news to reach the Southern states of the country in regards to the knowledge that slaves were now free.

Here it is well over a century later and many Blacks are still not free from chains of slavery. Nothing has really changed but the era. Slavery still exists just in many other forms. Webster defines slavery as: submission to a dominating influence or the state of a person who is chattel of another.

Anyone that has had any type of knowledge of American policies, procedures or otherwise can clearly conclude that there is the presence of a very dominant race within the American culture.

With that being stated I dare not defend my cause. It has been stated before that, “The proof is in the pudding!”

Even with a Black president in office there is still a conflict that remains within this nation. It is not that the president has a malicious scandal going on or that he has done some of the other things that preceding presidents have done to cause total devastation to our country.

But, it is simply because of the color of his skin that he has received so much opposition from his counterparts. I have stated it before and I will state it again it all comes down to respect. What is wrong with being respected as a Black person in the United States? And once again I ask, “Were Blacks ever really freed from Slavery?”