美国国家公共电台 NPR--How to properly celebrate Juneteenth in the age of commercialization

How to properly celebrate Juneteenth in the age of commercialization

Transcript¹

In years past, Juneteenth was primarily celebrated² by southern Black folks, especially Black Texans, who commemorated⁴ the day with intimate gatherings⁵, Black anthems⁶ and comfort food.

Now it's a federal holiday, observed from coast-to-coast (with exceptions) in different ways.

What changes when an informal celebration becomes an official holiday? There's more commodification and more government-sponsored events to choose from, for starters.

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, editor of the essay collection "The Black Agenda," spoke⁷ with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep about how people should appropriately commemorate³ the day — and support Black Americans throughout the year.

Gifty marks the holiday even though she is a daughter of immigrants whose ancestors were not in the U.S. in 1865.

"Juneteenth is something that is not necessarily part of the story of all Black folks in America, but it's part of Black America's story," Gifty said. "And I think that is worth celebrating every time."

Here's how Gifty recommends people do that.

Interview Highlights

Should white people celebrate Juneteenth?

White people should celebrate this holiday in the way that centers Black Americans. What I mean by that is, if your celebration looks like taking away or speaking over Black Americans and how they're choosing to celebrate and how they're choosing to stand in their truth, then I don't think that's actually celebrating alongside Black Americans. Just don't interrupt Black folks who are just trying to have a great time.

On how Juneteenth celebrations have evolved over the years

I think it's great that there's aspects of the Black American story that are being commemorated in this way. I think that [Ohio State University professor] Dr. Trevon Logan said it best [in a recent op-ed in Bloomberg]: Juneteenth should remind Americans that emancipation⁸ was necessary but insufficient⁹. There needs to be an actual grappling with how racial injustice¹⁰ is still shaping the lives of Black Americans and Black folks in America by extension, today.

On the commercialization of Juneteenth

I think the commodification of Juneteenth oftentimes happens in the absence of Black folks actually having a say in how Juneteenth is commemorated by a company or an organization.

I don't think any Black person would say, please come out with a Juneteenth-flavored ice cream. Ok, I'm looking at Walmart, right?

On what's wrong with Walmart's Juneteenth-flavored ice cream

I mean, why are you taking the celebration of the emancipation of slavery, in certain parts of the U.S., and trying to sell it as a quick, "Here's something that you can easily digest, literally¹¹." And I think that is a problem.

You wouldn't do that with other important American milestones¹², and I think even then there's a level of care that needs to go into that. Because the reality is, while Juneteenth is being commodified, Black Americans and Black folks in America are still struggling. So you're making money off of supposed Black liberation and freedom, when that freedom and liberation hasn't been fully¹³ realized.

On how companies and organizations can prioritize Black people

Yes, it's America, so commodification and commercialization is inevitable¹⁴, right? You know, just go to Times Square, for example. I think my whole point around that is, organizations that really want to deeply engage with Juneteenth also need to deeply grapple with how racial injustice is sort of taking place in their own organizations.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

4 commemorated   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Lincoln commemorated the soldiers killed in the battle in his address. 林肯在演说中表扬阵亡将士。 来自辞典例句
• You'll be commemorated for killing a spy, and be specially discharged. 你们每杀一个间谍将会被记录到特殊档案。 来自电影对白

5 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

6 anthems   

n.赞美诗( anthem的名词复数 )；圣歌；赞歌；颂歌

参考例句：

• They usually play the national anthems of the teams at the beginning of a big match. 在大型赛事开始前，他们通常演奏参赛国国歌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rise please, rise for the anthems of & . 请全体起立，奏和两国国歌。 来自互联网

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 emancipation   

n.（从束缚、支配下）解放

参考例句：

• We must arouse them to fight for their own emancipation. 我们必须唤起他们为其自身的解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They rejoiced over their own emancipation. 他们为自己的解放感到欢欣鼓舞。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

10 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

11 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

12 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

13 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

14 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。