Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865 enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, Texas were finally told that the Civil war had ended and that they were free.

And thus was born, Juneteenth, an annual celebration commemorating the actual end of slavery in the US. It is also known as African-American Emancipation day.

This is a day that has been celebrated in the Black community and there has been a growing push to recognize this more formally, especially after the surge of racial awakening that was happening in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. In fact, the Senate just passed a bill to make this a national holiday.

As we continue to reckon with the reality of our country’s history and on-going systemic racism, acknowledgement and celebration of this holiday seems like a very small but important step.