Crass commercialization of a holiday is as American as a Labor Day sale, and so it is up to us to keep the true spirit of Juneteenth alive.
Juneteenth would be a great opportunity to link up, or in some cases resurrect, the celebrations of Black freedom held in communities across the United States. Emancipation Day celebrations on January 1 were common in Black communities at the turn of the 20th century. Much of the heavy lifting to save Juneteenth from being another commercialized holiday has to be done by “everyday people.” This brings us to a final reflection on the potential power of Juneteenth. It should never be forgotten that the holiday itself originated in Texas and is at its heart a local story of emancipation. Considering the echoes of “redemption” by white Southerners to destroy Reconstruction via political violence in the South being felt in the January 6 “riot” at the Capitol building, this lesson is still sorely needed. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday in the mainstream press is too often only about his “I Have a Dream” speech, and ignores his radical critiques the triple evils of militarism, greed, and racism. Juneteenth offers the only opportunity on the federal election calendar to celebrate the genuine heroism of the Black men and women who went from toiling in fields to, at long last, being given a chance to learn how to read and write. For one, it is important to steer clear of what can be called the “MLK Day trap.” In other words, avoid making Juneteenth about one sliver of Black history, and instead make sure it captures the totality of the Black experiences of freedom in the summer of 1865. But less than a year later, Johnson reversed the order and returned the land to the plantation owners. Likewise, Juneteenth coverage focusing only on the moment the formerly enslaved in Texas learn of their freedom fails to miss how that day represents a broader history of the dream of emancipation—and the reality of broken promises. The general had asked Black Americans in Savannah, Ga., what could be done for them after their liberation by Union troops. The federal government’s embrace of Juneteenth is an occasion for both celebration and concern. Activists invested in the freedom of Black Americans rightly fear that the holiday will become commercialized and stripped of its radical, somber meaning.
U.S. stock markets, banks and USPS are closed Monday for Juneteenth in 2022. Flashback: Because Juneteenth became a federal holiday just days ahead of the ...
Now we all have the ability to pursue the Founding Fathers' vision." Why it matters: Because Juneteenth is not recognized as a holiday in a majority of states, many state employees across the country are not allowed to take a paid vacation day to observe the holiday, which celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S. "We celebrate that day for American independence. - Flashback: Because Juneteenth became a federal holiday just days ahead of the holiday in 2021, there wasn’t time for many businesses, including the U.S. Postal Service and stock markets, to mark the day last year. - "Think about July 4th," Austion said. - This year, about 30% of private employers are offering Juneteenth as a paid holiday compared to 8% in 2020, according to survey data from the Wisconsin-basedInternational Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.
Markets are closed Monday for Juneteenth, a federal holiday that observes the end of slavery in the U.S..
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As an employee of a bank, Camille Parham gets just about every federal holiday off, including the nation's newly minted Juneteenth holiday.
The stage, which allowed different artists to get on the mic to showcase their talents, was back this year but not as part of official Juneteenth activities. Milwaukee has been celebrating Juneteenth for nearly 50 years, but people still don’t know about it and why Blacks commemorate that day, she said. He said the day marks Black people’s resiliency, and acknowledges their battle to end slavery “I think it is a very short trot,” he said. He has given his staff the day off and has cancelled meetings with students. Corporate America and private companies decide which of the 12 federal holidays (if you count Inauguration Day) employees get as paid days off.
We should celebrate the end of slavery and America's progress toward racial justice. We should also reflect on how far the nation still needs to go.
Juneteenth celebrates June 19, 1865, the day Major General Gordon Granger informed Texas that all enslaved people were free. Since last year, the federal ...
The group keeps a list of those companies on its website. “We also added Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to our list of annual paid holidays,” Clawson said. As with many federal holidays, our retail locations and corporate offices will remain open on Juneteenth to best serve our communities.” Some large companies, like Nationwide and Progressive, have given employees extra time for them to use as they choose. A survey from the Employer Resource Council, an organization with more than 1,000 members, showed that 10% of employers offer the day as a paid holiday this year. Many will be open as usual, though several did not respond to the questions.
Juneteenth is a Federally recognized holiday that falls on Sunday, June 19. Here's if Federal Reserve Banks and branches will be closed on Monday, June 20.
And since it's a new federal holiday that also happens to fall on a Sunday this year, many are curious about what's open and closed in honor of the day on Monday, June 20. Make sure to check your bank's website for additional information. Any bank files (including your direct deposits), won't be moved on this day.
Juneteenth Day is observed on June 19 every year to commemorate the end of slavery in the US. Since the late 1800s, African Americans have celebrated this ...
Many academicians and researchers have questioned Juneteenth Day's impact and social effect as brutality and the promise of a brighter morning remain denied. On May 25, 2020, a 46-year-old black man George Floyd was brought to death by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, in the US city of Minneapolis. The history of suffering and brutality hasn't been erased; instead is being observed with great dignity. On June 19, 2022, President Joe Biden, while observing the Juneteenth Day, said, "Juneteenth is a day to reflect on both bondage and freedom — a day of pain and purpose.
Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the emancipation of slaves in the U.S., was Sunday, June 19th. Because the federal holiday – officially known as ...
According to the USPS, if a holiday falls on a Saturday, for most USPS employees, the preceding Friday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. The U.S. Post Office will also be closed Monday, so mail will not run. Because the federal holiday – officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day - fell on a Sunday, government offices will be closed today (Monday, June 20th).
A historical context sheds some light. Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day was first celebrated by ...
Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics. Between 2020 and 2022, five states (Texas, New York, Virginia, Washington, and Illinois) made it a paid holiday for state employees. But this time real freedom for all. Texas became the first state to designate Juneteenth as a state holiday. In 2002, eight other states joined Texas and Missouri followed suit in 2003. President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in January of 1863—two and half years earlier.
Since President Joe Biden declared the day a federal holiday last year, more companies are giving the day off, but few are commemorating it with additional ...
Also known as Emancipation Day, the name blends “June” and “nineteenth” — the date in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced ...
Juneteenth marks the day when America at last began living up to its founding creed. Even as the national unemployment rate sits at a near-historic low of 3.6%, Black joblessness lags at 6.5%. The racial wealth gap — a pronounced failure of social policy — has only increased over the past 40 years. It’s not hard to understand why, though, a century and a half later, Douglass’s words still sting. The African American story from that day forward was one of halting progress — from the 15th Amendment, to Brown v. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour. In effect, it asks Americans to reconcile their national aspirations with the reality of persistent inequalities.
The staff of Streetsblog is off today to mark the Juneteenth national holiday, the celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S. in 1865.
Although the holiday has long been celebrated, it wasn’t until last year that President Biden finally signed into law a bill creating Juneteenth National Independence Day. From the staff at Streetsblog we wish everyone a safe and memorable holiday. The staff of Streetsblog is off today to mark the Juneteenth national holiday, the celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S. in 1865.
Celebrate Juneteenth ethically and intentionally. To borrow a motto from Martin Luther King Jr. Day, make it a day on instead of a day off.
“That is something to mourn … We get together and celebrate, that’s how we approach a lot of the brutality that we have experienced; in community, cooking together, eating together, playing music, dancing, doing all of these things that bring us joy and community. “We don’t need people to feel bad for us, we just need resources,” Brown said. How can we avoid Juneteenth becoming just another commercialized holiday, divorced from its history and purpose and disproportionately benefiting those who already benefit the other 364 days a year? They wrote: “While celebrating, it is important to acknowledge the generational economic wealth gap that still exists today. But now that so many in the wider public are discovering Juneteenth for the first time and those with paid holidays are getting a paid day off, how can those who have not been directly harmed by the legacy of slavery honor the meaning of the day, celebrate it with respect and continue to push for racial justice? Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were finally told of the Emancipation Proclamation — over two years after it was issued.
Others have been celebrating it for years, with meaningful traditions. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas and ...
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, editor of the Black Agenda, about celebrating Juneteenth without misappropriating the holiday.
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For as long as I can remember, my family has celebrated Juneteenth. We would attend barbecues, parades, dances, and a lot of other social events to discuss ...
One of my favorite things to do was going to Cooper Lake to celebrate Juneteenth with a big barbecue and fish fry. It’s a time to celebrate diversity and freedom with family, friends and loved ones. From what I was taught growing up to the recent events, I have a newfound perspective of what Juneteenth means to me. Because of my family’s history, I understood at a very young age what atrocities were happening toward African Americans and what our roots were. Below is a personal story of what Juneteenth means to me. It took me well into my adulthood to realize that many Americans had no idea this day of celebration and liberation even existed, let alone the history behind it.
Last year (2021), Congress and President Joe Biden approved adding June 19 each year-- known as Juneteenth Day...
Official minutes of the meeting posted on the Hughes County website show the action was, “Moved by Rounds and seconded by Brown to approve the addition of June 19th to the list of observed holidays in the policy manual for Hughes County employees, and that it will be known as Hughes County Day. All voted Aye. Motion passed.” Many local governments, businesses and organizations use the list of major federal holidays as a guide for giving their employees paid days off. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem then followed suit and added the annual date to this list of holidays state employees get as a paid day off of work.
HINGHAM -- The Hingham Select Board read a proclamation last week declaring June 19 as Juneteenth Independence Day in the Town of Hingham.
Since then, Juneteenth has been celebrated in communities across the United States, providing an opportunity to mark the emancipation of enslaved people; and, Whereas, Major General Granger announced to the residents of Texas: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. The reading of the Proclamation can be viewed on the Town’s Harbor Media YouTube page.
Juneteenth marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state to ensure all enslaved people were freed.
Juneteenth is widely known in the African American community in fact I grew up in Arkansas my parents made sure that I knew exactly what Juneteenth was about and so I grew up celebrating the holiday at the park and singing the black national anthem so now that it is a holiday federal holiday. ”Well first and foremost I want the people in Minot and the people of Minot Air Force Base to know how much time and effort that our African American Heritage Council has put in to doing this and partner with the local community, this is a holiday that is still not widely known this is only the second year we have celebrated this federal holiday. It’s our biggest event of the year so there were high expectations from last year and we’re hoping that we can surpass those expectations this year,” said TSgt Chelsen Kincade-Jackson.