| Happy Juneteenth! How are you celebrating? Are you celebrating? Columnist Ted Johnson expects answers to differ, because America is still figuring out the particulars of its newest federal holiday. First, a refresher on the basics: Juneteenth, broadly, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and, specifically, the day in 1865 that some of the last remaining enslaved people in Texas learned of their emancipation. (For more specifics, Usher (!) wrote a helpful primer on the holiday back in 2020.) But Ted is more concerned right now with what it all means. This is the critical window to solidify how we as a country think of Juneteenth, lest it go the way of end-of-summer-bash Labor Day. Ted sees in the red, black and green party supplies early signs of the holiday turning into nothing more than a "summer Kwanzaa." It's a concern columnist Michele Norris picked up on two years ago when she noticed all the "tchotchkes, doodads and gewgaws" but none of the lesson plans. Ted proposes a better option: Juneteenth shouldn't take on the Pan-African colors, but rather the red, white and blue of America. Rooted in Blackness, it's also a holiday for all — because it's this country's story. America is about every last person's battle for inclusion, Ted writes, and "Juneteenth has the potential to represent that shared narrative better than any other civic observance." So it's okay if you missed this Juneteenth; that just means you have a whole year to get ready for next summer's celebration. | 
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