Activist: Juneteenth holiday is 'long overdue' скачать в хорошем качестве

Activist: Juneteenth holiday is 'long overdue'

(17 Jun 2021) As President Joe Biden was signing into law a bill recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, a senior center in Seattle was already celebrating the traditional African American holiday. Among the revelers was Larry Gossett, who is a former longtime county councilmember and activist in Seattle. "I think that kind of a recognition is long overdue. As an African-American who is a descendant of slaves from Texas, I am particularly thrilled by that recognition," he said. Juneteenth marks when when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 — some 2 1/2 years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had freed slaves in Southern states. Black communities have been celebrating Juneteenth for decades. "We're just glad that the rest of the country now is part of our celebration," said Lynda Greene, executive director of the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. "And it really is bittersweet because for most African-Americans, it's a reflection of where we've been as a country and to finally have a significant day acknowledged by the political folks here, that's meaningful, but also celebrating Juneteenth brings back a lot of sad memories because I know that my grandparents and my great grandparents were part of that transition. So it makes me sad on one hand, but it makes me feel very, very proud that at least the nation is now understanding what Juneteenth is all about." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...