Recently I was privileged to observe the Slave Medallion ceremony at Linden Place.

The program was informative and spiritually moving. Members of the Algonquin, Pokanoket, and Wampanoag tribal peoples spoke with eloquence, giving honest accounts of the history of slave trade and Bristol’s major role in it.

Our native brothers and sisters performed in song and dance, marking Juneteenth’s time as a blessing of the land, offering a prayer for our common humanity, that all people seek to be free, living their lives unencumbered.

Linden Place itself was built from the profits of the slave trade, and it is important to recognize this fact. I applaud the Board of Linden Place and its executive director, in that they have moved toward a place of due reparations by hosting this important Juneteenth remembrance.

The event on Juneteenth had Gov. Dan McKee, with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, talking about the importance of marking this a holiday, less celebratory perhaps but more a time of remembrance and peaceful resolution.  It becomes an opportunity for us to look at our past, with shameful deeds done for economic gain and profit. All harshly taken from the labor of people who were stolen from their faraway lands, while also stealing the local lands of our native indigenous peoples.

Juneteenth becomes a holiday, not unlike Memorial Day or Veterans Day, where we honor the people who perished, giving their lives in sacrifice toward the defense of freedom and democracy.

I know some will disagree with me about this statement, but are not these long-established dates really about peace and healing, with the now marking of Juneteenth similarly about reconciliation?

Our history has been slanted with bias. Yes, I am talking about White supremacy that has determined our social order, be it laws, housing, education, government and politics, and even religion. We cannot deny this. The point is not to wallow in past practices, but to make new policies that will set us upon a more truthful path in understanding the grave mistakes made, and to move forward toward a renewed system of brother and sisterhood.

We can do this, beginning with acknowledgements of history. We, the white majority that once ruled all, must own up to our dark historic activities, and move toward healing and resolution. We need not fear the pursuit of equality, nor fear a loss of control for others to succeed. Critical Race Theory is important and should become part of our educational systems to truly understand the meaning of freedom and equality. We all will benefit by this. It is not about condemnation, rather truth, and nothing less.

We can no longer “whitewash” history, censor, or omit painful stories of ourselves.

We are all responsible and are to be held accountable, by the actions of ancestors and those others who came before us. We are here now and have the opportunity to truly enact policies and practices toward healing. Let’s choose to move forward motivated by love and reconciliation. We can do this.

Stephan Brigidi
Bristol