The Nation Celebrates Juneteenth

Wednesday marks Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when the last of the U.S. slaves were freed in Galveston, Texas, two years after the initial Emancipation Proclamation was issued. 

For Context: President Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021. 

From the Left: A writer for USA Today (Lean Left bias) said, "Juneteenth 2024 marks a day of celebration as well as education." She interviewed Dr. Alan Singer, a professor of teaching, learning and technology at Hofstra University, who writes about the history of slavery and racism, about the importance of teaching black history and the commercialization of the holiday. "The trend of commercialization, we risk the overshadowing of the historical context, and the ongoing struggle for racial equality that Juneteenth represents," Singer said. 

From the Right: The New York Post Editorial Board (Right bias) wrote, "America today celebrates Juneteenth, a commemoration both of the horrors of the nation’s original sin, slavery, and of its end... The struggle for freedom and dignity undertaken by black Americans is inextricably linked to the larger ideas that breathed life into this nation. The oppression and struggle they endured should remind us all that liberty and dignity are not to be taken for granted, but to be continually fought for and defended."