Vol. 4 No. 2 (2020)
Editorial

Some Thoughts Written on ‘Juneteenth’ of 2020, the Day Commemorating the End of Slavery in the United States, June 19, 1865, at the End of our Civil War

Richard G. Weiss
Department of Chemistry and Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

Published 2020-07-02

Keywords

  • Juneteenth,
  • Racism,
  • Intolerance,
  • Slavery,
  • Equity

How to Cite

Weiss, R. G. (2020). Some Thoughts Written on ‘Juneteenth’ of 2020, the Day Commemorating the End of Slavery in the United States, June 19, 1865, at the End of our Civil War. Substantia, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.13128/Substantia-1005

Abstract

We are human beings, imbued with the ability to make decisions and think deductively and inductively. However, our ability to do so is related asymmetrically to external factors such as wealth and physical strength; some are imbued with more power than others and use that extra power as a tool to influence how fair and equitable are defined or, in extreme cases, to oppress the weaker. As a consequence, individuals and groups sometimes behave in ways that are destructive both physically and emotionally to others. Thus, it is not surprising that throughout our recorded history there have been actions affecting masses of people that we consider (at least in retrospect) to be based on illogical and uncivilized criteria. 

After all, we are human beings.