What Juneteenth Means to Me, a Cuban American

There’s a lot to be said about anti-Blackness in the Cuban American community, but we’re not all like that

Photo by JF Martin on Unsplash

It almost goes without saying that anti-Blackness in the United States is more pervasive than some realize. We see it come from various non-white communities who’ve bought into white supremacist propaganda. Despite the wave of Latinophobia using racist rhetoric born of the most bigoted ideas in the US, anti-Blackness continues to be a problem. Undoubtedly, those in power who are extracting our wealth enjoy divisions among marginalized groups.

But here’s the thing. That bigotry is why I, a dude who came up in New Jersey, had no idea what Juneteenth was when moving to Texas more than 30 years ago. At the time, I was in my late teens and I looked at it as something Black people in Texas did and kind of left it at that. But it wasn’t until years later that I asked about the holiday and a friend explained it.

I was speechless.

To learn that the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t get to Texas until two years after slavery was abolished is astounding. That it was done intentionally, even more so. Suddenly, Juneteenth had a meaning that was deeply ingrained in this country’s ugliest history. I find it disturbing to this day because that mentality lives on in many places across the United States. Especially in a place like Texas which is the size of five states with broad cultural ideas based on where you are.

What’s even harder to ignore is how much of that mentality has infected the Latino community in various parts of the state. Particularly in South Texas where the likelihood of interactions with Black people is less likely. Think racist rural America but bilingual. Similarly, South Florida is largely the same way despite cultural differences between Latin American immigrants and Latinos who may have generations' worth of history in the country.

White power structures in America think of Latinos as being mixed-race, and therefore, never “white” despite how pale some of us may be. But that doesn’t stop people with a cultural history that will forever be demonized in the United States from carrying water for white supremacist ideas. In some places, it starts in law enforcement culture, as is common. In others, it’s just plain old racism that comes from countries of origin and generational ignorance.

Yes, Latinos can be white supremacists. No, it’s not new.

But I want to send a message to Latinos who have beef with Juneteenth: educate yourselves about this country’s history. Stop promoting the same colonialist and imperialist agenda that is responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people throughout history, the genocide of our respective ancestors, and the torture of even more people in our countries of origin.

Whiteness represents cultural erasure and if you deny your history, white society will forever remind you of it because you will never be one of them. Take the little time you have on this planet and learn about the people you live amongst. Even if you don’t have access to other cultures or ethnicities, it’s not hard to learn these days. Fighting against things that happened doesn’t make you edgy and won’t win you any favors from white society. It makes you weak.

Saludos y Feliz Juneteenth.

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Arturo is a writer, journalist, and publisher of The Antagonist Magazine and a regular contributor at Latino Rebels and Unicorn Riot. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.