Civil War: Emancipation Passover
Pesach is a time to tell the story of our freedom from slavery. We remember the journey from persecution, to bondage, to liberation. As we celebrate our freedom this April, I also reflect on the April of 1861, when a war was declared to end slavery.
The Civil War was started in April 1861 because the Northern states (The Union) and the Southern states (The Confederacy) disputed the institution of slavery. The United States (The Union) wanted to end slavery but the Confederate States wanted to maintain slavery for a variety of reasons, including the economic benefit of slave labor.
In January of 1863 (before the end of the Civil War), an executive order was issued with the intention to set slaves free. This declaration, known as the Emancipation Proclamation also allowed Black men to fight in the Civil War. Black men were allowed to wear uniforms and carry guns to shoot and kill White men fighting to keep their brothers and sisters enslaved. Black men held up arms to fight for the right to maintain their freedom and to liberate enslaved people in the Confederate States.
As a Black American Jew, this Pesach, I choose to celebrate the soldiers who unfortunately had to fight in a war for the freedom of my ancestors. I also honor the Black soldiers who fought for liberation and justice. This Seder, I will tell the story of the Civil War and our fight for freedom. I will tell the story of the Black soldiers who lived and died to fight for our freedom. I will tell the story of the Reconstruction Era, and the continued struggle to thrive and survive in an America, that after fighting in a war for our freedom we are still not truly free. I will tell the story of freedom that is hard, honest, and hopeful.
As an activist, I am conscious about the current state of freedom for Black/Brown people in this nation and around the world. This Seder, I will not only lift up my cup of unity and lead the libation for liberty, but I will drink from my cup to pledge that I will forever fight for freedom because to this day, my people are still being executed, oppressed, hated, lynched, terrorized, and enslaved in systems that fight hard like the Confederate soldiers in the Civil War to uphold the institution of modern day slavery.
This Seder, as I tell the story of my people from Northeast Africa who were enslaved by Pharaoh, I will share how my ancestor Moses pleaded, “Let my people go”. I will share about the wonders that led to the freedom of my people from Egypt. I will explain how we journeyed through the desert in search of a place to be free from persecution because of our way of life. I will talk about how we still are on a journey in a different desert in search of freedom from oppression and injustice because of the color of our skin. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 declared our freedom, but we still fought different battles during the Reconstruction Era and Civil Rights Movement. Today, we continue to fight in the Civil War of terror and racism. We are still fighting battles in America to get equality, equity, and justice. We continue to march on through the wilderness of hate in search of freedom. This Pesach, I call on the spirits of the Black soldiers who fought in the Civil War for freedom to give us the moral courage to fight the battles of today. I call on the African goddesses to protect us in our journey of life and to inspire in us the audacity to reclaim our power. This Pesach, I call on our warrior ancestors to give us the strength to continue to fight to win this modern day civil war with resilient hope.
