Juneteenth Celebrations Highlight the Ongoing Struggle for Freedom

In 2021, President Joe Biden enacted a bill that had received unanimous approval in the Senate and a vote of 415-14 in the House, designating June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a federal holiday. This date commemorates the moment in 1865 when over 250,000 enslaved individuals in Texas were finally informed of their freedom, a message delivered by federal troops in Galveston, long after the Civil War ended. Notably, this knowledge came over two and a half years post-President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863.Within Black communities, Juneteenth has been celebrated for generations, originating in Texas shortly after the first "Jubilee Day." During the 1968 Poor People's Campaign, a significant rally in Washington, D.C., marked June 19 as "Solidarity Day." Advancing Juneteenth to a national holiday, a vision pursued by advocates like Opal Lee, symbolizes ongoing discussions regarding the true meaning of freedom in America. This observance serves as a poignant reminder: nobody's free until everybody's free.