Marc Lemons Tyler Texas

The Blacker the Berry, the Sweeter the Juice

First published in the Austin American Statesman June  19th, 2005

The Blacker the Berry, the Sweeter the Juice…As my grandfather used to say

That Juneteenth this year falls on Father’s Day makes it an even greater holiday for African-Americans to celebrate. Our culture is filled with great fathers and grandfathers who despite being born of inopportunity and racism were able to shine a positive light on fatherhood and their heritage. My grandfather was one such man full of such idealistic sayings about our race and culture. Among his favorites were the standard clichés we all know about the glass being half-full not half-empty, being a chip off the old block, making lemonade from lemons. But the one that most echoes in my mind was his spin on the pride of being dark-skinned. When my grandmother would affectionately call him her strong, dark, black man, he would comeback with “the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice.” Growing up I took this literally and always looked for the darkest berries in the supermarket. Overtime learning my history through his stories and euphemisms, I understood fully his positive spin on his dark complexion.

As it were, Juneteenth was my grandfather’s favorite holiday. Every Fourth of July he and my uncles and other male relatives would make a point to discuss that blacks in Texas were not yet free on this day. On Juneteenth like the Fourth, he would wake at dawn get the patio cleaned up, season the meat, and prepare the grill. During this celebration they would rejoice in discussing how the freedom of all slaves came to be.

Like the sayings my grandfather jovially extended to me, the true meaning of Juneteenth was somewhat lost in translation to me as a young girl. In my hometown, Juneteenth meant a parade and barbeque at the community park on a way too hot day, all the free kool-aid one could drink, and trying to get the cool guys in school to notice that you had on the nicest jumper set. One might have never guessed that Tyler, Texas had so many black people until every one of us turned out at Woldert Park for our annual Juneteenth celebration.

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