Juneteenth

Those who celebrate Juneteenth, are reminded of the painful past of America's dark days of enslavement and the need for reconciliation and healing. In response, our "Modern Juneteenth Movement" has embraced the term "Maafa", a Kiswahili term meaning "terrible occurrence" or "great disaster", to tell our own story as African Americans about our ensl... avement and the sustained attempt to dehumanize us. The National Day of Reconciliation and Healing from the Legacy of Enslavement has been established on the "18th of June," the day before freedom on the "19th of June," Juneteenth. We have the same attitude as modern Israelites have about the holocaust - "never again," because if we forget, it may happen again. Through Juneteenth, African Americans are connecting with our family in Africa, severed from us because of the tyranny enslavement. The first Ethiopian Jewish woman to be crowned Miss Israel, Yityish "Titi" Aynaw, visited America in 2013 as our guest. She traveled to Los Angeles and warmed our hearts with the story of her leaving Ethiopia as a young child and moving to live in Israel. Titi has provided African Americans the opportunity to connect with our Ethiopian and Hebrew roots. Traveling to Netanya, Israel last year, I was inspired by Titi's work with at risk Ethiopian Jewish youth through "Project Titi." I met with an Ethiopian Knesset member and other government officials, who provided a tour of an Ethiopian absorption center and an inspiring Ethiopian cultural preservation project. The Church of God in Christ, the second largest black church denomination in America, under the leadership of Bishop Charles Blake and Bishop George McKinney, will be joining me on our 2015 Juneteenth Israel Missions Outreach, from August 31st through September 10th. We are anticipating over 100 pastors and black church leaders to travel with us to Israel. Greater support for Project Titi and developing closer ties between the African American church and the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel remains our goal. A ...Read More