Juneteenth Day and National Caribbean-American Heritage month
Did you know …
June is Pride month to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising that took place in June 1969. Stonewall, a pub and gathering place for gays and lesbians, was raided by the police in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, which ignited a tide of protests and demonstrations among the LGBTQ community. The protests are one of the most important events leading to the gay liberation movement and the fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States.
Caribbean-Americans have been contributing to the well-being of American society since its founding. Alexander Hamilton, the First Secretary of the Treasury was from the Caribbean island of Nevis. Other notable Caribbeans are: Secretary of State Colin Powell, Cicely Tyson, W.E.B Dubois, James Weldon Johnson, Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier to name a few.
Juneteenth Day (short for “June nineteenth”) honors the end to slavery and marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, TX in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. Why? Because two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, slavery continued in certain states, including TX, which was at that time viewed as a safe haven for slavery. It was only after the adoption of the 13th Amendment in December of 1865 that slavery in America was formally abolished.
