Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is an American holiday honoring and celebrating African-American ancestry, history, achievements, and struggles. In particular, this celebration honors the day in 1865 when enslaved peoples in Texas and Louisiana finally heard they’d been freed, more than two and a half years after the date of January 1, 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation had become official.
Juneteenth is now recognized as a state holiday or state holiday observance in various U.S. states, with New York officially declaring it a state holiday in 2020. However, Juneteenth celebrations and events having been taking place for years across Westchester county.
WJCS is proud to be celebrating Juneteenth by continuing to fight the damaging effects of racism and helping others stay informed. Join us in our fight for freedom for all by checking out these resources:
- Overview of Juneteenth: https://juneteenth.com
- Why we should honor Juneteenth (video): https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t&ei=UTF-8&p=Juneteenth+video+What+Juneteenth+tells+us…#id=1&vid=3319160dff44b5c2e73591701be1703c&action=click
- Juneteenth Events Listing across Westchester: https://www.westchesterfamily.com/2023-juneteenth-celebrations-westchester/
- National Museum of African American History (video): https://nmaahc.si.edu/events/juneteenth
- The Black National Anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONgOH_tq7-Q
- Lift Every Voice and Sing with Lyrics
- Transcript of the Emancipation Proclamation: Transcript of the Proclamation | National Archives https://www.archives.gov › emancipation-proclamation
