But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 7:8 (NIV)
Juneteenth celebrates the effective end of lawful slavery of African American people on June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people would be freed. The troops arrived two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which outlawed slavery across the United States.
What it must have been like to receive that news! I see God’s role in this story as freedom delayed is not always freedom denied. The Bible tells us many stories about waiting for freedom and deliverance. From Daniel and the lion’s den to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea out of Egypt to the three young Hebrew men delivered from the fiery furnace. These stories show the power of God to save and deliver, but they were not just delivered, they were also redeemed!
The Redemptive Work of Entrepreneur Support
As Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships for Rising Tide Capital, where our mission is to transform lives and communities through entrepreneurship, Juneteenth has distinct historical significance for the work we do at Rising Tide Capital to support underserved entrepreneurs. Most of these entrepreneurs are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and women.
In my role, I have the blessing of helping other organizations learn how to develop and sustain programs that accomplish the incredibly redemptive work of entrepreneur support. I see the light of liberation in the work I do daily to share the news of how a small community-based non-profit in Jersey City, New Jersey, has been able to impact their local community with God’s love and grace and the wider communities of 15 partner organizations across the country for twenty years.
This work connects to the very same people who received their full freedom and deliverance on June 19, 1865, and who have left a legacy of favor and redemption through Black business ownership, which transforms lives and communities across the country and around the world through the work we are blessed to do daily. God’s blessing was exceedingly and abundantly above the deliverance that enslaved African Americans prayed for and continues to touch the lives of the entrepreneurs who are the direct descendants of those freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. What a miracle to have an opportunity to own a business when their ancestors were once owned by others. Black business owners and entrepreneurs are truly their ancestors’ wildest dreams!
Two Challenges for Juneteenth
I invite you to celebrate the historic significance of Juneteenth today and celebrate the Black business owners who are living proof and testaments that faith and trust in God brings redemptive and miraculous blessings.
In that spirit, I encourage you to take one spiritual challenge and one earthly challenge:
Spiritual Challenge
Include a daily prayer for health, strength, guidance, and continued favor for all ancestors of enslaved people and those who have started businesses despite all odds against them. Pray for every individual and community that they and their businesses touch.
Earthly Challenge
Start an intentional search for your favorite Black-owned business, not just one that you think of in June or February, but one that you frequent just as much as your other favorite purveyors of products and services. It can be a craft artist, boutique, local restaurant, tax accountant, doctor, handyperson, landscaper, babysitter, or pet sitter. Find your one go-to Black-owned business. This will require an iterative process of seeking out, testing, and trying.
Once you think you have your favorite, share the good news! Just like the disciples shared the salvation given to followers of Christ and just like the federal troops brought to enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865 – the original Juneteenth.
About Samira Cook Gaines
As Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships at Rising Tide Capital (RTC), Samira Cook Gaines brings her experience as an Economic Development expert, government leader, and entrepreneur. Samira cultivates collaborations and shares the RTC model with communities seeking to provide entrepreneur support. One of her greatest joys is seeing small business owners gain confidence to walk into their God-given gifts of creativity and gain knowledge to create businesses that solve needs in their communities.
Samira is also a co-connector for the Entrepreneurship Support Alliance Network. Click here to learn more about the ESA Network and how you can get involved.
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