This Sunday, we celebrated the holiday of Juneteenth. This year, the holiday is being federally recognized today, June 20th.

On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Texas were notified that slavery was federally ended by the arrival of 2,000 Union troops. Once they arrived, 250,000 enslaved people in Texas were now free. This was two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into effect which declared the end of slavery. 

Juneteenth has long been celebrated by African-Americans in Texas, but was not federally recognized until June 2021. We celebrate Juneteenth in the wake of continued Black suffering in America. Just 1 month ago, 10 Black people were targeted and killed in Buffalo, New York for no reason other than their race. The Black community continues to face widening health disparities and inequities in this country. This Juneteenth, take the time to reflect on freedom in America, what that means to you, and different populations’ relationship to it.