It's pretty easy to miss if you're not paying attention. There's no time-old traditions like the Fourth of July, and there's no time off work either. For those whose families suffered the injustice of American slavery, however, June 19th marks a very special occasion in the year.
Juneteenth, a short-hand referral to "June 19th," marks the yearly anniversary that the final slaves in America learned of their freedom in June of 1865. While America shuts down for a day in early July to celebrate freedom from the tyranny of the British, the African slaves at the time were still trapped in their bondage.
However, despite marking a monumental moment in American history, there are many people who are simply unaware of the holiday, and there's no official celebration for the event outside of what a local community might put together. Even now, there are some states that refuse to even acknowledge the holiday whatsoever, those states being: Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and New Hampshire.
Some media figures, like Charlamagne Tha God, have opted to spread awareness of the holiday, encouraging his followers to "celebrate freedom."
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkNR8anlfRW
In an uncharacteristic event, the Trump White House even opted to share a message to the people this Juneteenth, saying that "Today and every day, we recommit ourselves to defending the self-evident truth, boldly declared by our Founding Fathers, that all people are created equal." Whether you agree that Trump's current policies reflect that or not, it seems we can all agree that there's no chance in hell that he actually wrote that himself.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1009074333543780352
If you're interested in celebrating Juneteenth, check your communities to see how you can participate.
