juneteenth

Juneteenth marks our country’s second Independence Day. That fact in itself calls on us to remember, reflect, and recommit to the principles of our democracy - liberty and justice for all - but ones that we have never fully embodied.

It’s not unusual to see Black children using smartphones or tablets throughout the community, as well as in school or church. But a good number of them return to homes with inadequate or non-existent internet service, where dependable computer access, such as laptops or desk computers, isn’t available.

Wednesday is Juneteenth, a national celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Boston is showing up to celebrate, with parades, festivals, block parties and free museum admission around the city.

Juneteenth celebrations create a wealth of opportunity for the Boston community to celebrate the Black family experience here in Boston. Juneteenth has been celebrated by the Black family going back over a century.

Spring and summer in Boston are short and precious seasons. To take full advantage of the blossoms and warm temps, consider attending one of the diverse festivals taking place across Boston over the next few months.

As a 12-year-old boy, Eric Holder watched on a small black-and-white television in the basement home of his Barbadian parents in the Queens section of New York City as John F. Kennedy spoke to the nation.

These are a few of the most exciting (and free) Juneteenth celebrations happening around the Boston area this weekend.

What is the merit in having Black progeny be conscious of the 2½ year extended servitude of Black slaves who had been freed by Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation?

First, it was Juneteenth. Now it’s Willie O’Ree. Let’s take both and then try to see what the GOP is up to.

This July 4th, America will celebrate 245 years of independence from British rule. However, when President Joe Biden signed into law Juneteenth as a  federal holiday, it forces Americans to take a sterner look at what this July 4th means.

A uniquely Texas holiday has been adopted as a national holiday as the United States grapples with a racial reckoning sparked by the police murder of George Floyd.

When Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Orders, Number 3 and thus emancipating the slaves of Texas on June 19, 1865, he had no idea that he was also establishing the basis for a holiday, “Juneteenth” (“June” plus “Nineteenth”), today the most popular annual celebration of emancipation from slavery in the United States.