Also called Emancipation Day, or Juneteenth Independence Day, Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. But this second independence day is not a national holiday and most Americans have never even heard of it. Years of systematic racism, segregation, and the oppression of Black Americans have diminished and stamped out efforts to make what should, undoubtedly, be an American National Holiday.
The CEO of the King Center in Atlanta says she hopes to spur progress during this year's observances of Martin Luther King Jr. Day by helping more Americans personalize the struggle for racial equity and harmony.
