What are we really celebrating?

A holiday celebrated on the 19th of June to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

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Why is it important to celebrate?

Juneteenth is a necessary moment of observation because our nation and our culture has not acknowledged the trauma of 4 million enslaved people and their descendants. It hasn’t acknowledged the impact this institution has had on this country and continues to have on this country. There hasn’t been a national accounting, Juneteenth holiday is a reminder of that. - Karlos Hill