Page 12
May 23, 2018
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
Juneteenth Origin Debunked
Author corrects
myths about the
annual holiday
Donald Norman-Cox, a 64
year old resident of Denton, Tex-
as has a message for the nation
regarding next month’s June-
teenth celebration: “Tell it right
or stop talking.” Since the mid-
2000s, Mr. Norman-Cox has spo-
radically informed college and
community groups that parts of
the Juneteenth explanation are
flagrantly wrong. This year, his
message has muscle.
“Every explanation I’ve heard
since childhood made little
sense,” Norman-Cox said. But
like many others, he never both-
ered to search for facts. “I won-
dered how news of the proclama-
tion could travel to Europe faster
Spring
Special
D.J. Norman-Cox (standing) teaches senior citizens in Denton,
Texas how to locate Texas newspaper references to the
Emancipation Proclamation, pre-Juneteenth. Norman-Cox’s book
“Juneteenth 101” counters claims that news did not reach Texas
until two and a half years after the proclamation was issued.
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than it floated across the states.
How did news reach what is
now New Mexico without going
through Texas? When did other
states free their slaves?”
Those quandaries and more are
addressed in Norman-Cox’s new
book Juneteenth 101. The book
debunks several widely held
myths about Juneteenth, includ-
ing its primary tenet: news of the
Proclamation didn’t reach Texas
for two and a half years.
“You hear that everywhere, but
it’s wrong,” Norman-Cox said.
“Delayed emancipation was not
caused by not-knowing. The cul-
prit was lack of enforcement.”
Norman-Cox admits to hold-
ing a near life-long hope that
others had researched their expla-
nations. “I challenged nothing,”
he laughs, “until one question re-
fused to be ignored.” That ques-
tion was why do Texans com-
memorate both Watchnight and
Juneteenth?
Watchnight was the night
slaves held vigils to watch for
freedom, courtesy of the Emanci-
pation Proclamation. Juneteenth
occurred supposedly because no
one knew the Proclamation ex-
isted. Norman-Cox said, “Those
opposing explanations coexist
peacefully only in minds of the
oblivious.”
While digging for clarification,
he discovered some Texans knew
about the Emancipation Procla-
mation before it was issued.
“On September 15, 1862, a
newspaper in tiny Clarksville,
Texas reported Lincoln was about
to issue ‘a proclamation of gener-
al universal emancipation.’ Nine
days later, Lincoln issued his pre-
liminary proclamation. What lit-
tle guys knew, the big ones did,
too,” he said.
That and other discoveries are
packed in his new book.
Norman-Cox calls his find-
ings, “Earth shaking, but noth-
ing new.” He said, “Professional
historians – which I’m not – have
known these facts probably since
emancipation became a topic
worthy of scholarly examination.
This book translates existing aca-
demic discourse into street speak
… to help Big Mama and Ray-
Ray ‘nem not be wrong.”
Juneteenth 101 claims incor-
rect explanations oversimplify
Portland
Juneteenth
Planning
Plans are being made for
Portland’s annual Juneteenth
celebration, coming Saturday,
June 16, with the Clara Peoples
Freedom Trail Parade and fol-
lowed by festivities at the Leg-
acy Emanuel Hospital field on
North Russell Street between
Vancouver and Williams.
Juneteenth is a free family fun
event commemorating the end
of slavery and is open to every-
one. The parade will start at 11
a.m. on June 16 beginning at the
Safeway store on Martin Luther
King Jr. Boulevard and proceed-
ing to the Emanuel field where
the celebration will follow from
noon to 6 p.m. with music, food,
hip hop cardio, a kids area and
a raffle.
In addition, on Thursday, June
14, the Billy Webb Elks Lodge,
6 N. Tillamook St., will host a
Miss Juneteenth Scholarship
Pageant. You’re invited to join
10 young women, ranging in
ages from 14 to 18 years old, as
they vie for the title and crown
of Miss Juneteenth Oregon.
For information on Portland
Juneteenth, visit juneteenthor.
com or call 971-930-5862.
the complex and chaotic way
slavery ended. Believing slavery
continued because they didn’t
know, misidentifies ‘they.’
“They” refers to slave own-
ers,” Norman-Cox contends.
“What slaves knew was irrele-
vant. Their walking off the job is
called running away, not emanci-
pation.”
According to Norman-Cox,
Juneteenth falsehoods are perva-
sive. Even Congress incorrect-
ly refers to Juneteenth as “the
day slavery ended in the United
States.” Juneteenth 101 identifies
31 congressional resolutions that
include or were defended by that
statement. “As if six months lat-
er, the Thirteenth Amendment did
nothing,” Cox added.
To replace that inaccuracy
the book offers this explanation,
“Juneteenth celebrates the end of
slavery; not the day slavery end-
ed.”
Juneteenth 101 is a 104 page
book published by Arising To-
gether Publishing; available ex-
clusively at amazonbooks.com
for $13.