The promise of America on Juneteenth. Honoring past, embracing the future.

A panel of scholars will examine the origins of Juneteenth and discuss its historical and contemporary political significance. The program theme is: The promise of America on Juneteenth: Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future. This theme symbolizes the legacy, freedom, and the shared journey of the diaspora in African American history, civil rights, and social justice, helping to foster learning and understanding.

On June 19, 1865, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln emancipated enslaved Africans in America, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, with news of freedom. More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day. With the principles of self-determination, citizenship, and democracy magnifying their hopes and dreams, those Texans held fast to the promise of true liberty for all.

For the nearly four million, mostly illiterate and recently freed African Americans, education was a crucial first step to becoming self-sufficient
after emancipation. Learning to read was not only desirable, it was oftentimes necessary to protect freedoms, find employment, and communicate with separated family members.

The programs offer better opportunities to connect and build stronger institutional and community relationships. We aim to educate, celebrate, and raise awareness on honoring the struggles and resilience of African Americans throughout history.

Where are we coming from?

The first panel discussion is a lovely opportunity to delve deeply into the commemoration of Juneteenth, the reasons it took so long to be recognized as a federal holiday, and the efforts we’ve made as scholars, artists, technology experts, and politicians to honor those who came before us. In this section, the panelists will provide a brief understanding of what Juneteenth means to them before calling the speakers up.

Where are we going?

The future is now. Things can change at the drop of a hat, as we face a dynamic and volatile presidential administration. How do we as policymakers, community activists, artists, and technology experts pull forces to continue and elevate the Juneteenth experience? How do we protect the culture and make sure it does not end up as an export to white America? Black commodification happens when you least expect it. What structures can we put in place, lessons we can teach the children, and what opportunities can we build amongst ourselves to keep this momentum going? In the same way Black History Month is eventually meant to be Black History Life, how do we celebrate mental, physical, emotional, and economic emancipation? What are practical ways we can carry out these objectives?

SAID INSTITUTE is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire, elevate, and empower the next generation of diverse business and civic leaders and women. Over the past 5 years, SAID INSTITUTE has worked to close the representation gap for multi-faceted professionals in leadership roles in the corporate, public, and nonprofit sectors.

Moment to Movement: On Juneteenth and the Promise of America

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom as we recommit to addressing ongoing inquiry. It is a celebration of our cultural roots as a source of strength and as a priceless life force that requires tending.

It is a celebration of progress, even as we acknowledge how much further we have to go. It is a celebration of truth and our commitment to tell our stories on our own terms, as we grapple with the complexities of our histories.

Juneteenth is a holiday that lifts up Black freedom, and freedom for all as we confront our collective history, celebrate the strength of a multiracial democracy, and acknowledge the power we draw from creative expression as a crucial element of what it means to be truly free.

The post Emancipation period known as Reconstruction (1865-1877) marked an era od great hope, uncertainty, and struggle for the nation as a whole. Formerly enslaved people immediately sought to reunify families, establish schools, run for political office, push radical legislation, and even sue slaveholders for compensation. Given the 200+ years of enslavement, such changes were nothing short of amazing. Not even a generation out of slavery, African Americans were inspired and empowered to transform their lives and their country.

Juneteenth marks our country’s second Independence Day. Although it has long been celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans.

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