This Juneteenth, I remember my great grand mother who was born a slave...

This is my Granny Cellie. Her full name was Celia Chandler.

She was a former slave on the WheatLand Plantation. 

I have been hearing so many stories about her, especially recently. My mom told me about how she visited Wheatland not too long ago in Sevierville, Tennessee. She talked about how a tour guide discussed how Celia became head chef,  how her recipes made a name for her, how she would hand polish each crystal on the chandelier in the parlor.

My mom told me how she carried our family through some dark times. 

Today, being Juneteenth, a day we celebrate the legal abolition of slavery, I remember her and speak her name.

When people say slavery was so long ago, I remember her. When people attempt to whitewash the contributions of Black people in this country, I think of her. I have a photo to prove slavery actually wasn’t that long ago, and that as far as we have come, we have so much further to go.

Let’s remember that and how this nation owes an immense debt to Black People, like my Granny Cellie.