Juneteenth (short for "June Nineteenth") is a federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
I was personally touched recently by reading some of the writings by Omar ibn Said, the subject of Rhiannon Giddens’ Pulitzer Prize-winning opera, Omar. As someone who is immersed in the Arabic literature, I found his writings very deep, articulate ... and surprising.
Omar ibn Said was a 37-year-old Quranic scholar in Africa when his compound was overrun and he was sold into slavery. After surviving the Middle Passage, he was brought to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1807. Facing brutal treatment, he eventually fled to North Carolina, where he was imprisoned because he could not prove ownership.
While in jail, Omar wrote verses of the Quran on the walls with ashes. Scholars who studied his writings noted his remarkable strength in maintaining his faith and identity in isolation for the remainder of his life.
Omar authored an autobiography in Arabic while enslaved, a unique historical document currently located at the Library of Congress, and an invaluable resource for understanding the experiences of enslaved people in the United States.
In a 2023 interview, Giddens explained that the goal of the opera was to enrich the traditional American narrative, asserting that Omar’s story is just as representative of the American experience as more common narratives like the Mayflower.
Check this link below to learn more..
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