June 18th 2024.
As the Juneteenth holiday gains national recognition, there have been some moments that have highlighted the potential challenges that come with its wider exposure. One such moment occurred on June 24, when images of a Juneteenth Sponsorship Luncheon & Scholarship Awards were shared on social media, sparking outrage and concern.
Tyllah-Chanel Cornelio, an author, educator, and marketing strategist, shared a photo of the scholarship recipients, which showed that only one of them was Black. This caused a stir as many felt that a scholarship named after Juneteenth should have been reserved for Black students. The lack of representation was not taken lightly and even sparked some jokes among social media users.
Cornelio followed up her initial post with some updates, clarifying that there were allegedly multiple donors to the scholarships and the photo she shared was only from one group. However, this explanation did not satisfy her, as she firmly believed that Black students should have been the only recipients of a scholarship in honor of Juneteenth.
The personal injury attorney who sponsored the scholarships, J. Chad Parker, also shared a post on Facebook stating that he had no control over the selection process and had simply provided the funds. However, this did little to quell the disappointment and frustration expressed by many.
A post showcasing the scholarship winners from someone claiming to be a member of Parker's team was later deleted, but the screenshots had already circulated and caused uproar on other social media platforms. This incident has also led to discussions on how the federal government declaring Juneteenth a holiday did not fully address the issues and demands of the Black community.
In 2020, Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee introduced a resolution to recognize the historical significance of Juneteenth, stating that it was the right time to declare it a national holiday. She believed that a holiday would not only educate people on the story of Juneteenth but also serve as a call to action and a reminder of the progress that still needs to be made for Black Americans.
However, as Theodore Johnson shared in a 2022 op-ed, making Juneteenth a holiday was the easy part, as it symbolized the government doing something difficult. He argued that the true significance of Juneteenth lies in America's ability to do hard things, and making it a holiday did not fully capture that.
Despite Juneteenth now being a national holiday and its story being widely shared, incidents like the Juneteenth scholarship program highlight the ongoing struggles and challenges faced by the Black community. It serves as a reminder that the audacity of whiteness still exists, as seen through their desire to claim celebrations and initiatives that should solely belong to Black people.
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