Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Juneteenth

Also known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Black Independence Day, marking the end of slavery in these United States.

There’s an event going on at the college, but it’s not a parade or walking event — not a 5K, so I’m not interested in checking it out.

I’ll pay homage to the holiday by breaking out my Black History Month’s tee, wear it to this morning’s workout.


Last year, Google had a cool addictive interactive raised fists marching across the screen confetti drop doodle that had me playing with it off/on all day.


This year’s doodle is a bit of a letdown.


Such a letdown that I went into the Overview for an understanding of the doodle’s meaning.

Illustrated by an Oakland-based guest artist who said that, when making the doodle, he thought about what Freedom Day meant to him — play and fun and leisure, the opposite of oppression. "That’s what I want to showcase in this piece – the descendants of enslaved people celebrating and having fun".

Okay, but it’s still a bit of a letdown for this descendant.

12 comments:

  1. Happy Juneteenth! Make sure everyone sees that fab t-shirt of yours!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I looked at that Google doodle too. Guess little kids like it more. It's finally become a real holiday when the banks and post office are closed. (Nope, I don't prepare or eat kale.) Linda in Kansas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Commentor dkzody is familiar with the illustrator. Said he illustrates for children's books. Guess he was in that mindset when he did today's doodle.

      Delete
  3. I hope your Juneteenth is a great one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, my friend. Not doing anything special other than dressing for the occasion.

      Delete
  4. I was thrilled when I saw that today's Google artist is Christian Robinson. He is a wonderful illustrator of children's books, many of which I have shared with students. His Instagram site is theartoffun https://www.instagram.com/theartoffun/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The doodle looked like something one would find in a children's book, so his being an illustrator for children's books is not surprising. Not my cup of tea, but I'll take a look at his Instagram.

      Delete
  5. I love seeing that T-shirt! The illustration is cute but, yeah, a bit of a letdown. Did you grow up with an awareness of Juneteenth?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I grew up with an awareness of nothing, nada. I was a dumb sheltered ghetto girl whose awareness of everything grew through various traumatic life experiences and the invention of the internet. Though always proud of my Blackness, I don't recall celebrating it in any form or fashion until I was in my 60's and Juneteenth only since it became a national holiday.

      Delete