Juneteenth and Independence Day offer models of the kind of religious freedom America should embrace, according to Interfaith Alliance President Paul Raushenbush. “On July Fourth in 1776, the Founders declared independence from a king who was given absolute power because…
What, to the white American, is the 19th of June?
On July 5, 1852, the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester invited Frederick Douglass to give a speech on the 76th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which became known by its central piercing question, “What, to the American slave, is your…
Opal Lee already knows what her 99th birthday present will be
In an interview last summer, Opal Lee told BNG she would “keep on walking and talking until somebody listens” in her fight for social change. And eight months later, the now 97-year-old “Grandmother of Juneteenth” is keeping her word. Lee’s…
At Juneteenth vigil, Alliance of Baptists called to move from celebration to action
Juneteenth observances must go beyond celebrating the emancipation of enslaved people to calling out modern forms of white supremacy that continue to oppress people of color, speakers said during a June 19 online vigil hosted by the Alliance of Baptists….
Juneteenth: Moving from symbolism to substance
When President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation Jan. 1, 1863, it changed the legal status of more than 3.5 million enslaved Black people in the Confederate states from enslaved to free. It was two-and-a-half years later, on June 19,…
One new book tells kids the story Juneteenth, while another tells adults why Juneteenth matters
When Dorena Williamson was asked to write a children’s book on the importance of Juneteenth, she knew it was a huge task to pull off, not just because of the topic but because of the timeline. This year, our country…
Juneteenth emancipation then and now
“There were two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.” Harriet Tubman (c. 1822-1913) Born into slavery in Maryland around 1822, Harriet Tubman dreamed of freedom….
Opal Lee may be the ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth,’ but she’s not done working for justice yet
Opal Lee is lovingly known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” Over the past few years, she worked hard to bring awareness of this historic date to American citizens and lawmakers. The new federal holiday would not exist without her perseverance….
Don’t keep sweet: Why white Christians need to celebrate Juneteenth
One of the top documentaries on Netflix right now is Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey. It’s about the FLDS, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who once were in Utah and then in Texas. If you were…