SECOND TAKE
DESERET NEWS: ‘Juneteenth’ national holiday stands for hope
June 19 is a unifying symbol of the final fulfilment of freedom for the US’s enslaved population
21 June 2021 - 13:50
The announcement in Texas that all slaves were freed, made on June 19 1865, came more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect, and more than two months after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
But it has become a unifying symbol of the final fulfilment of freedom for America’s officially enslaved population. It certainly wasn’t the end to racist violence, discrimination or a seemingly never-ending list of shameful disadvantages thrown at black people. That day still lies in the future...
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