This is a reprint of a post I began in 2018 with an amendment or two.
Happy day to celebrate the end of slavery in the U.S. Juneteenth is a holiday in 47 states.
Here is a tweet from Jamar Tisby which makes a case for Juneteenth as a national holiday. Whether Juneteenth should be the day or another day should be designated, there should be such a holiday to commemorate the end of slavery.
Why Juneteenth Should Be a National Holiday
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“Juneteenth should be recognized as a national holiday because it is a singular moment in U.S. history, and it solidifies the reality that black history *is* American history.” #Juneteenth
https://t.co/kNvr7RmynQ pic.twitter.com/sPM44B0rH7— Jemar Tisby (@JemarTisby) June 19, 2018
Photo: Public domain: Source: The Portal to Texas History Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. Date: June 19, 1900. Author: Mrs. Charles Stephenson
Today is Juneteenth, the oldest celebration of black emancipation in the country. Here is Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger’s order, given two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. #Juneteenth ??? pic.twitter.com/8PUSYB2Mwn
— Jemar Tisby (@JemarTisby) June 19, 2019
It’s #Juneteenth. Here’s @HenryLouisGates on the history & meaning of this date for African Americans. https://t.co/kdV55LtCW7
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) June 19, 2019
2020
Why Juneteenth should be a national holiday (excerpt from “The Color of Compromise”) #Juneteenth#ColorofCompromise https://t.co/1QkuIZNsgf pic.twitter.com/MkvM8cWlPP
— Jemar Tisby (@JemarTisby) June 19, 2020
My home town didn’t start officially celebrating it until the mid 1970s, but there was a reason for that. Some of the citizens and politicians objected – because it was a “made up holiday.” You know – not a REAL holiday like Mothers Day and Fathers Day.
Or “Washington’s B-day”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdqEaCoCW1c