Happy Juneteenth!!!
June 19, 2008
Today is Juneteeth!! It’s like a Black independence day.
On Monday, June 19, 1865, the Union Gen. Gordon Granger stood in Galveston, Texas and informed a group of residents that the world as they’d known it had come to an end: All slaves were now free.
The newly liberated slaves began celebrating immediately. They commemorated that day every year after, giving rise to Juneteenth, a celebration that is now observed throughout the United States.
Keep in mind that many of the slaves were free long before that day. Texans were just the last to know.
Sadly with the exception of a few states, we rarely hear of Juneteenth celebrations, at least not in the same capacity that we have for MLK day or Black History Month. Many black people in the south don’t know anything about Juneteenth (old, young, in between). I’m not going to debate the reasons why, I just think we need to spread the word about it!
So today as you go about your workday, Think about Juneteenth and the importance of freedom. Think about how many of our boys/men are having their freedoms taken away from them everyday and ask what we can do to prevent this.
Happy Juneteenth!
For more info visit Juneteenth.com
