Juneteenth events are as much about celebration as they are about awareness, according to one Connecticut National Guardsman.
Capt. Shaneka Ashman, also the unit’s equal opportunity adviser, led planning for Thursday’s event commemorating the emancipation of Black slaves.
Retired Lt. Col. Annette Buford-Frost will be the main speaker for the event. Ashman said Buford-Frost’s prior military service – and being in Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically Black sorority – made her a good choice for the event.
“Also with her story, being an African-American leader in the military too, she can talk about her story, merging [with] how was Juneteenth significant in the military and the United States at large and kind of adding her story,” Ashman said.
The event, according to Ashman, is intended to educate others on Juneteenth, bring awareness to the day itself and also is a time for celebration and reflection. Ashman said she feels like Juneteenth – and the “huge role” the military played in it – isn’t well-known.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a 2021 statement that Juneteenth holds “particular significance” for the military.
“[Juneteenth] marks the date in 1865 — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation — on which Union soldiers, led by Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, issued the famous General Order No. 3, informing the people of Texas that ‘all slaves are free,’” Austin stated. “We are proud to build upon that legacy of emancipation as we work to defend our freedoms and to make real the full promise of American democracy for all our citizens, on June 19 and every day.”
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The first “official movement” to make Juneteenth a federal holiday began in 1994, followed in 1997 by a congressional resolution recognizing Juneteenth Independence Day, according to the Congressional Research Service. But it wasn’t until 2021 that the day began being recognized as a federal holiday.
It’s important for Guard units to recognize Juneteenth, according to Ashman, because of the focus on diversity and inclusivity.
“Our people are the force multiplier,” she said. “They’re the one that is taking that step and doing and working and executing for us.”
The Connecticut National Guard’s event takes place at noon Thursdsay at Camp Nett in Niantic, Connecticut, and is hosted by the 1109th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group.
The unit’s first Juneteenth event, organized at the 118th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, was soldier-initiated in 2020. The soldiers’ initiative, according to Ashman, also shows Juneteenth’s importance to the military.
“Because we’re very diverse. One thing our TAGS always talk about is diversity is our strength,” Ashman said.
Separately, the Wisconsin National Guard will host Air Force veteran and civil rights activist James Meredith on June 20 for its Juneteenth event. Meredith was the first Black student admitted to the University of Mississippi in 1962 amid racial segregation. Dr. Judy Alsobrooks Meredith will also speak at the event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the 128th Air Refueling Wing’s Sijan Hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Is your unit holding a Juneteenth event? Email Associate Editor Kari Williams at kari.williams@ameriforcemedia.com to share more information.
