Nobody’s free until everybody’s free

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

There has been a noticeable increase in Juneteenth celebrations across the United States over the past few years. With this year, it finally became recognized as a national holiday on the 17th. For decades, activists and congress members (led by many African Americans) proposed legislation, advocated for, and built support for state and national observances. During his campaign for president in June 2020, Joe Biden publicly celebrated the holiday, before just a week ago finally announcing it as a federal holiday. 

This month, although a heavily covered topic, I’d like to utilize whatever influence I have to help spread the message that President Biden is promoting. He claims how “There is still more work to do.” As we emerge from the long, dark winter of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, racial equity remains at the heart of our efforts to vaccinate the nation and beat this virus.  We must recognize that Black Americans, among other people of color, have shouldered a disproportionate burden of loss — while also carrying us through disproportionately as essential workers and health care providers on the front lines of the crisis.”

President Biden is very correct. Not just with African-Americans, but all Hyphenated-Americans have faced injustice; and we must continue to take action to help ensure equality for all.