As part of our larger effort to recognize, honor, and unequivocally support our Black community, patients, family, and friends, we want to highlight the importance of today, Juneteenth.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the Emancipation Proclamation was announced in Texas, 2.5 years after it was originally issued on January 1, 1863. This day is celebrated as a second Independence Day and commemorates the end of slavery in America. As current events have so brutally reminded us, our country is still greatly impacted by the legacy of slavery and the segregation that followed. We see it today in the ongoing acts of systemic racism, discrimination, intolerance, and violence against our Black communities. In the words of Rev. Ronald V. Meyers, chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, this holiday is “a time of celebration, but also a time of reflection, healing, and hopefully, a time for the country to come together and deal with its slave legacy.”
Did you know?
- There is a flag that was created in honor of the day.
- There are many songs sung to honor the day.
- That there is a Black National Anthem.
- That there are many events taking place to celebrate Juneteenth.
For those who are new to the history of the holiday, we encourage you to familiarize yourself to have a deeper understanding of our American history. Additional historic information to better educate yourself include This is why Juneteenth is important for America and What is Juneteenth?
We also encourage you to read the following blogs written by a couple of our team members, Honoring Juneteenth and What Juneteenth Means to Me, to gain more personal insight into what this day signifies.
