Ronald Myers pushed for Juneteenth in Milwaukee. Is it time for a statue in his honor?
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Opal Lee, the woman known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," on Friday visited Milwaukee, a city that has held the longest-running Juneteenth celebration in the Midwest.
Her first stop was America's Black Holocaust Museum, where she was greeted by museum officials, community leaders, Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
Lee, who is often credited with bringing attention to make Juneteenth the nation's 12th federal holiday, came to Milwaukee on a mission: She wants city, county, and community leaders to honor the Rev. Dr. Ronald Myers with a statue.
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Who was Ronald Myers?
Raised in Milwaukee, Myers was a physician, minister and jazz musician. More than that, he also was a driving force for the Juneteenth effort.
He chaired the National Association of Juneteenth Lineage (NAJL). His organization in 1997 was instrumental in getting Congress to pass legislation recognizing Juneteenth as "Juneteenth Independence Day" inAmerica. That paved the way for Myers to help 43 states and the District of Columbia create some form of Juneteenth celebration.
“We got to have heroes too. You got cotton-picking (statues of) Confederate heroes still up. Why not have our own heroes?" Lee said. "Why not have the children realize there were people who did wonderful and miraculous things – Black people?"
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What do community leaders say about the statue?
David Crowley, Milwaukee County Executive
It must be a community-led effort.
A committee must be set up to help identify people willing to put in the work, including finding an artist, determine the cost, and create a capital campaign.
“While it's great reaching out to the city and the county, we know we want to make sure there is ownership around,” Crowley said.
Tony A. Kearney, Sr., executive director, Northcott Neighborhood House, and president of Juneteenth MKE
His organization spearheaded the city’s Juneteenth celebration.
Supports the idea.
“A people who don't understand their history and heritage is not a people. It is essential for us to understand our role in history and for young people to understand that role was not just the subservient of slavery. We built the country. Hell, we built the White House. We built everything."
A brief history of Juneteenth in Milwaukee
Juneteenth commemorates the period when the last remaining slaves were freed in the United States.
On June 19th, 1865, Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas with news that all slaves were free. Their liberation came two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
There have been many efforts to recognize this historical marker in Black history as a federal holiday. But Lee's effort was significant. She set out on a 1,400-mile journey at age 89, walking from her home in Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. She walked 2.5 miles a day, representing the years it took between when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and when news reached slaves in Galveston.
President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth, or June 19, the 12th federal holiday in 2021.
“Dr. Lee is 96 years old and is still doing this work with the same level of focus, integrity and passion,” said Brad Pruitt, executive consultant for the museum.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ronald Myers pushed for Juneteenth in Milwaukee. Is it time for a statue in his honor?
