juneteenth
Amid nationwide protests against police brutality and racism, the effort to celebrate and recognize Juneteenth has gained strength.
Amid nationwide protests against police brutality and racism, the effort to celebrate and recognize Juneteenth has gained strength.
“It’s time we elevate this,” Ralph Northam (D) said. “Not just a celebration by and for some Virginians but one acknowledged and celebrated by all of us.”
A proposal by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) would commemorate June 19 as the anniversary of emancipation.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
The president moved the campaign event in Tulsa, site of a 1921 racist massacre, that would have fallen on a holiday celebrating Black freedom from slavery.
One woman noted "a day set aside to commemorate the freedom of enslaved people must not be marred by the words or actions of a racist president.”
The president picked a date and site important to Black history so he could celebrate himself.
Former President Barack Obama celebrated Juneteenth and the continued "fight for justice and equality" in the U.S. in a tweet.
June 19 marks the official end of chattel slavery in the United States — and to celebrate the holiday means to pay homage to black food history.
Ta-Nehisi Coates testified before Congress in support of reparations for slavery.