Page 7 - Making Juneteenth News Today

Adults said a lot. let me start with your reaction to what we are about to watch, juneteenth becoming a federal holiday? >> i certainly think this is an important moment of reckoning, an important moment where this nation now will have an opportunity to learn even more about this important history that african-americans have faced. its a moment that creates a more sense of inclusion, you know. a lot of black americans dont feel included on our independence day as a nation because so many of our ...

Here in a house built by enslaved people. we are footsteps away from where president abraham lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation, and we are here to witness president joe biden establish juneteenth as a national holiday. we have come far, and we have far to go. today is a day of celebration, and its a also a day of pride and its also a day for kamalakamala. and with that say i say happy juneteenth, everybody. and with that i introduce the president of the united states, joe biden. [ app...

Still face injustice and equity in our world, and we have to have a life commitment to make a reality genuinely equal for all americans, and in this case for black americans. >> bernice, i want to ask you about that poll that victor just read. this year has been a humbling experience for many white folks, myself included and how woefully uninformed we are about major historical moments, between juneteenth and the tulsa wall street massacre, and little has been known, and how do we change that? >...

The awareness because its a moment where there will be a concentration of energy in that regard. we cant neglect the fact that while people are catching up on the educational side, we still have to do the legislative work of ending police brutality and ending housing discrimination, and stopping health care disparities, and eradicating education, and all these things we are still not liberated from in the black community. >> for juneteenth to become a holiday was unanimous in the senate, and not...

Mistakes we made. and remembering those moments, we begin to heal and grow stronger. the truth is, its not simply not enough to commemorate juneteenth. after all, the emancipation of enslaved african americans marked the beginning, not the end. to honor a true means of juneteenth, we have to continue toward that promise because we have not gotten there yet. the vice president and i and our entire administration and all of you in this room are committed to doing just that. thats why weve launched...

To be more inclusive than ever. biden, and vice president harris are about to sign a bill to make juneteenth a federal holiday. please have a seat. good afternoon, everyone. good afternoon. so throughout history, juneteenth has been known by many names, and today, a national holiday .

They learned that they were free. and they claimed their freedom. it was indeed an important day. still let us all remember that that didnt end slavely in america. the truth is, it would be six more months before the 13th amendment was ratified. before enslaved people in the south and the north were free. so as we commemorate the history of juneteenth, as we did just weeks ago with the history of the tulsa race massacre, we must learn from our history and we must teach our children our history. ...

The juneteenth act into law and establishing juneteenth as a federal holiday. hes about to step to the podium. lets listen in for a moment. >> because you see, that day was not the end of slavery in america. yes, on that day the enslaved people of galveston, texas learned that they were free. but in fact, 2 1/2 years earlier the emancipation proclamation ended slavery in the confederacy. think about that. for more than two years, the enslaved people of texas were kept in servitude. for more than...

>> thank you. thank you. thank you, madam vice president. 156 years ago. 156 years. june 19th, 1865. major general of the union army arrived in galveston, texas, to enforce the emancipation proclamation and free the last enslaved americans in texas from bondage. the day, as you all know, came known as juneteenth. you all know that. a day that reflects what the psalm tells us. we may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. juneteenth marks both a long, hard night of slavery and a

Stronger. the truth is its not enough just to commemorate juneteenth. after all, emancipation of enslaved black americans didnt mark the end of americas work to deliver on the promise of equality. it only marked the beginning. to honor the true meaning of juneteenth, we have to continue toward that promise because weve not got therten there yet. all of you in this room are committed to doing just that. thats why we launched an aggressive effort to combat racial discrimination in housing. address...