Juneteenth Facts

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Bye Fourth of July!

Juneteenth Facts

Did you know that today’s a holiday? If you didn’t, we’re here to inform you that today is Juneteenth, the actual date that slavery ended and 250,000 enslaved Africans were freed in America.

On June 19, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Union troops in Galveston Bay, TX informed slaves that they were free.

The June 19th date has since been recognized as Juneteenth and its marked by celebrations that include food, music, and fellowship amongst black people ready to mark the actual date when their ancestors tasted freedom.

It’s a celebration of blackness that’s more important than ever while Oxidized Orange Juice in Chief is in office and in the wake of police shootings and Charlottesville.

Over the weekend Juneteenth celebrations took place across the country ranging from Atlanta’s Juneteenth Festival where attendees enjoyed a 3-day music festival with floats, marching bands and a performance from Angie Stone…

to celebrations in Durham, North Carolina and Charlotte.

In addition to the festivals, Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and Pharrell announced today that they’re making a Juneteenth musical. Pharrell will write and compose music for the project while Kenya will work alongside Black-ish writer Peter Saji.

“The acknowledgement and celebration of Juneteenth as an American and possibly international holiday is something that I would put in the life goals column for me,” said Barris in a statement according to Deadline. “For Peter and me to be able to team up with Pharrell on such an important project like this is something that neither of us in a billion years would have thought possible.

Will YOU be watching the Juneteenth musical?