Three Times America Actually was Great.

Happy Juneteenth!

Whenever the bigots started screeching about making America great again, the general reply from non-bigots was, “Again? When was this country ever great for Black people?” It feels like the answer is obviously never, but—and I know this is difficult to believe—history gets erased!

Also, it turns out that if you believe something has never been done, it’s easy to believe that thing is impossible. But once you know what has been done—and how it was undone—you can see the path, the possibilities and the obstacles.

So, for this Juneteenth, here are three times America actually was great for Black people. Celebrate them, mourn their undoing and understand that accomplishing them once means we can accomplish them again.