Juneteenth 2022: Begin and continue traditions
Hello, fam, it's me, LeBron!
Just like the Warriors down in the NBA Finals, I came back!
Over the last two weeks, I had a lovely road trip to Boston, New York City and D.C. It was my first time visiting these places, and it was great to be a tourist for a change.
But it's great to be with you again.
Last Juneteenth, I took my ole faithful green Honda down to the Uncle Nearest Whiskey Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
I had a great time learning about the history of Nearest Green, the former slave who taught Jack Daniels how to make whiskey. The farm where the distillery is held is so beautiful. Nothing beats a nice open field and seeing the Tennessee hills from afar.
This year I will go again and wrangle the Hill family to join me at the Nearest Green distillery.
This is my Juneteenth tradition.
The beauty of this holiday is that no matter how long it took to discover it, the feeling of freedom and community has always been there.
There are many issues that need to be addressed — reparations, voting rights and inequity to name a few. But let's remember that as we fight to see that our demands are met, we can also celebrate the freedom that we share.
To you and yours, Happy Juneteenth!
What Black Tennessee Voices are saying about Juneteenth:
Ashford Hughes, executive officer of diversity, equity, and inclusion for Metro Nashville Public Schools, writes a powerful piece about literacy among in Black and brown children. Hughes speaks to the work My Brother’s Keeper Nashville is doing to give these children freedom through reading.
Commercial Appeal columnist Lynn Norment dives into the history of Juneteenth, debunking fiction and uplifting facts about the holiday.
Make sure to read the "Free-ish" special presentation on Juneteenth. Listen to a recording of a Twitter Spaces segment featuring project editor Gary Estwick.
Also, find essays by 30 Black writers across Tennessee talking about what Juneteenth means to them and what lessons America still must learn.
That does it for me this week!
One thing I didn't miss about Nashville is the humidity. I got out of my car after driving eight hours straight, and that humidity hit me like Mike Tyson in the first round.
Again, have a great Juneteenth!
Blessings!
LeBron Hill is an opinion columnist and editor for USA TODAY Network Tennessee and the curator of The Tennessean's Black Tennessee Voices newsletter and Facebook group. Email him at lhill@gannett.com or tweet to him to @hill_bron or find him on Instagram at @antoniohill12.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Juneteenth 2022: Begin and continue traditions
