Exactly one year after African American independence was enforced, a group of freed slaves thought it necessary to commemorate the event that changed the trajectory of American history.

In writing this article, I had a pleasant conversation about Juneteenth with a very bright, Hampton University graduate who made this profound statement, “Society picks and chooses what is acceptable from the African American culture.”

After 150 years of freedom, so-called equality, and significant contributions to the fabric of this country, African Americans are still struggling to push past the resistance of their white counterparts.

It is offensive when society popularizes and embraces characteristics of African Americans like hairstyles (cornrows, braids, afros), body shapes (curves and buttocks), or facial features (voluptuous lips) that are endemic of the African American culture and claim them as their own.

In her 2016 run for the White House, Hillary Clinton stated to the mothers of slain African Americans of the Black Lives Matter Movement, to make an impacting change, you have to change legislation.