I vividly remember driving a friend to the airport several years ago so that he could tend to some critical business at his hometown bank. We were halfway there when suddenly it occurred to us: OMG, it’s Casimir Pulaski Day in Illinois tomorrow and the banks will be closed!
Casimir Pulaski Day is in March, but I suspect that others will experience a similar scenario today due to the celebration of Juneteenth. It’s a two-year-old Federal holiday so people are not yet accustomed to it, and it’s more complicated this year with Juneteenth being celebrated on June 20th. But there is no mail, no in-person banking, and no open government offices.
Neither of us knew who Mr. Pulaski was or why he merited his own holiday, but we were inspired to find out. (He is honored for his contributions to the American Revolution and is considered the Father of the American Calvary.) I hope you do the same today. Instead of considering it an inconvenience, treat it as an opportunity to learn about Juneteenth and the freeing of enslaved Americans. It’s a day to atone as well as celebrate as well as a chance to understand and own the history that shapes who we are as a nation today.
