United Airlines released a pair of videos to commemorate Juneteenth, offering a profound look at the progress we have made, even while our work toward a more perfect Union remains unfinished. The words of Opal Lee send a powerful message to all of us.
United Airlines Honors Juneteenth With Special Flight And Focus On Opal Lee
Many workers in the United States are enjoying a day off today in honor of Juneteenth, a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States and now a federal holiday. While Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 freed all slaves in the Confederacy, it was more than two years until the news reached slaves in Texas. Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 bringing word to thousands of slaves that they no longer were under bondage.
The former slaves reacted in jubilee, celebrating with prayer, hymns, and spiritual songs. This moment in time has been celebrated annually since it happened, but only became a federal holiday in 2021.
United Airlines released a pair of videos to mark this holiday. Both center on 95-year-old Opal Lee, who played a pivotal role in making Juneteenth a federal holiday. One video begins with a United airlines pilot speaking:
“To read history is one thing. To know history is duty. But to live and speak with history, is just the ultimate honor I could have.”
It then shifts to Lee, who explains:
“You see, when I was growing up, the only airplane I saw was the one overhead. But the young people, they have the opportunity to actually fly the planes. I’m delighted with the progress they’ve made. I’d tell every child, that’s on this United Airlines flight, if people can be taught to hate they can be taught to love.”
Lee was referring to a special Juneteenth flight United Airlines ran last week from its hub in Houston (IAH) that featured 100 school children from “disadvantaged communities” onboard, many flying for the first time:
As for Lee’s message above, amen. What a powerful testimony that love can triumph over hate and that even though the journey to racial equality is not over, the USA has made great strides.
What I love about Lee’s words and about the spirit of this video is that it revels in the progress we have made. We can celebrate that today. We’re such a negative culture, drowning in lament about the shape and progress of our nation on both sides of the political spectrum.
But can we stop, just for today at least, and recognize how much progress has been made? No matter your political party or persuasion, I hope we, as a nation, can recognize that black Americans are worthy of the same dignity, respect, and opportunity as any other citizen. Furthermore, we can recognize that such opportunities have been shamefully withheld from many over our history and that the lingering effects of that can still be felt today.
But finally, we can recognize that black Americans have opportunities today that Lee’s generation could only dream of? Let’s celebrate the fact that this nation is reconciling the past every time a young black person earns their wings and takes to the skies.
CONCLUSION
What I appreciate about United’s “Good Leads The Way” campaign is that it does focus on the positive. In a world that is so negative, I am proud to be an American on this Juneteenth and celebrate that skin color no longer necessarily limits aspiring pilots or flight attendants from fulfilling their dreams.
Be sure to watch the longer video United produced with Opal Lee as well, which tells the story of how she became the primary driver for making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
> Read More: United Airlines Operates All-Black Juneteenth Flight (Photos)
With the headline, I thought UA had dragged someone else off of an aircraft.
BTW, the racist and Homophobic comments on the article about Pete Buttigieg should be removed. They were nothing but trolls trying to bring your site into a place I don’t thinks you want it to be.
Meaningless post for a meaningless corporate pander video for a fake holiday. Next!
All holidays are fake Mr. Duke
Why didn’t they celebrate juneteenth 3 years ago? Was it not important then? Are the guays offended that they have to cede a day of drag shows during lgbtqia+++abclmnop month for this?
The post is only about Juneteenth. You’re clearly obsessed with gay people. I applaud your coming out.
Well, it wasn’t a federal holiday three years ago, and it is now, so there is that…
People and companies change how they celebrate things over time, for a variety of reasons.
So they can recognize slaves being freed but ONLY when it’s a federal holiday? That doesn’t seem very inclusive to me. Hey, either way, it’s great marketing……which really, is all it is.
Were you criticizing them 3 years ago for not having a bigger celebration?
If not, then you are guilty of the same thing that you are accusing them of doing– making a bigger deal out of this only now that it’s recognized a holiday.
I you were criticizing them 3 years ago, then shouldn’t you now be giving them credit for responding favorably to your criticism?
Or did I misunderstand? Is your current position that they STILL aren’t doing enough for Juneteenth? You want to see more celebrating?
I couldn’t care less about either. Nor do I care about St Patrick’s Day or the The Battle of Puebla…..or really any other meaningless virtue signaling “holidays”. Imagine if all of these companies focused of providing a quality product instead of falling all over themselves to be woke. What’s next, a safety video performed by drag queens, how about one by BLM with a nice ACAB and “F the police” theme (could also mandate that all white passengers evacuate the burning aircraft last). We could even do an abortion themed one….the possibilities are ENDLESS…..Its a marketing agency’s wet dream!
“Imagine if all of these companies focused of providing a quality product instead of falling all over themselves to be woke.”
Imagine if they did both. It isn’t an either/or/instead game.
“a safety video performed by drag queens”
And that would be bad because…?
Groomers of the world, unite!
Chris, isn’t it time to feed your cats?
Thank you so much for sharing and posting this.
There is always a frustration when social change carries a corporate endorsement. But corporations like United have power. They have advertising dollars. They have influence.
From my perspective, United’s message was spot on: they broached the question, “Why do we honor Juneteenth at all?”
In fact, Juneteenth has been a part of American culture all along; it is just now that we are honoring it on a national and formal level.
There are corporations who honor Juneteenth with soulless, “yay for Juneteenth (eyeroll),” or the appalling “Juneteenth ice cream” from Walmart. United’s message carries depth and a combination of hope and solemnity.
I applaud United for taking the right tone, the right message during such a difficult time.
Out of a gloomy past, here now we stand at last. Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
Only one in six blacks celebrated Juneteenth and about a third of them didn’t even know what it was prior to it being made federal holiday for craven political purposes. It is really George Floyd Day, brought to you by Chinese-Mexican fentanyl. And Carl’s Jr.
Not a fair assessment.
And why not? Do you really think United or any other massive corporation is sincere in its virtue signaling? Why do corporations celebrate Pride month in Western markets but not in Muslim ones? Everyone—Democrat, Republican, corporate—went along with Juneteenth because it cost them virtually nothing. Do you think black folx really care? How are they materially better off because of it? Black wages went up under White Supremacist Trump and Trump’s share of the black vote in 202o improved over 2016. Were those voters all bigots? Are they better off under Biden?
Matthew,
Don’t fall for the hype. While slavery was wrong and should have never occurred (including Whites being slaves at the hands of arab conquest of North Africa, ottoman turks, and mongols), that’s no excuse for the infringement on freedom for Whites and Christians to live their lives as they please without forced collectivism and forced introduction of groups into private neighborhoods. I don’t think much progress has been made when citizens are not free to decide who they sell or rent their home to, who they hire, who they go to school with, and when we can openly tell the truth about who commits most of the crime.
There is no reason to celebrate today.
What a nonsense post. “White people were slaves in other countries, so we shouldn’t commemorate the slavery of Black people here in the US”. How asinine.
But hey, you seem to enjoy being a racist…
Why is Juneteenth a holiday and not January 1? The Emancipation Proclamation was signed more than two years prior to Juneteenth. It was massive BLM rioting that gave us George Floyd Day. No one really cared about it prior, including black folx.
“There is no reason to celebrate today.” It seems like you feel this way pretty much every day.
Do you ever comment in a way that isn’t just basically a cut and paste from the introductory pages of the angry white supremacist’s handbook?
Sad very sad comment indeed! If any day in America should be celebrated as a national holiday it is Juneteenth. Black people (slaves) [built] America. If it took them over 300 years to enslaved, it should take them more than a day to celebrate their freedom! Sad commentary!
Pardon typos. My response makes sense in between the lines. Meant to say “black people built America… not bully…”
Pardon typos. My response makes sense in between the lines.
For clarity, I fixed your comment.
It is Anglo-American rule of law that made American prosperity possible. There is plenty of black labor in Africa. Prosperity? Not so much. Plenty of modern slavery, though. When will African slaves have their Juneteenth? Is it white supremacy if blacks are the slavemasters?
Amy- whites and Christians eh? Since most African Americans happen to be very much proud Christians, will you let them share your spot on the podium as winner at the Olympics of Suffering?
I mean God forbid we could have a holiday celebrating a positive moment in our country’s history, the emancipation of the last slaves after the Civil War. Not something that makes you feel warm and fuzzy eh?
I’m so sorry that you’re one of those pleasant people for whom Brown v. Board of Education was a dark, dark day for White Christian America.
You must have a blast having to breathe
in the air of folks of color (or MUSLIMS!) on your flights.
Don’t fall for all the haters. Online comments are a place for people to show the ugliest, pettiest parts of themselves. Brush that sh..t off.
While corporations do pander that takes nothing away from the joy of celebrating people being free.
We should all celebrate everyone. I’m a straight, white man and I can celebrate Juneteenth, gay pride, Irish heritage, any of it. God meant for us to love each other and me celebrating someone else with a different background doesn’t make me any less, it doesn’t take away anything from me, it only adds. It is love by addition, not subtraction.
Anyone who doesn’t get this, who feels the need to write some nasty comment, then you need help. And there is no shame in that either. We all have tough lives and sometimes it seems easier to cast stones. Go get help, play with your kids, walk on the grass, talk to someone. There is so much hurt in the world, we don’t need to keep spreading it here.
Thank you, Charlie! Very well put.
Just more wokeness pablum. United and other airlines need to focus on running a reliable safe operation. Not spending resources publiclly kneeling at the BLM and anyone elses alter of wokeness. Just shut up and fly, on time safely with the bags.
Hey, it was Mitt Romney who said “Corporations are people, too” and conservatives on the Supreme Court who underscored that with their majority ruling on Citizens United, so you can thank the Republicans for what you now consider “wokeness” in corporate America. But the hypocrisy is obvious when you don’t personally agree with those stated positions!
A few of these post amplify why there was slavery in America and why our democracy is in peril today.
Matthew, slavery did not end in the United States on June 19, 1865. It was still legal in the states that did not succeed from the Union. It wasn’t until the passage of the 13th Amendment on December 6 of the same year that it was ended.
That’s why I said that Lincoln’s EP only freed slaves in the rebel states.
A very inspirational speech by the lovely Opel Lee. Thank you for sharing it, Matthew.
In republican and trump supporter and I think this is a cool article. Nothing wrong with this at all, the ending of slavery should be celebrated.
It takes more muscles to frown…than to smile. Why all the effort. Hate takes so much energy