Joyous and Happy Juneteenth! Today is the second year Juneteenth is seen as a federal holiday, so Pride Center will be closed today and will reopen tomorrow 6/21. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act last year, making it the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was added in 1983.

Here are some facts about the holiday and slavery:

Other names for the day: Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, Emancipation Day.

June 19th 1865, Texas was the last state to let black Americans out of shackles, marking the first day of freedom.

The 13th amendment set black Americans ‘free’. The 14th amendment made black Americans citizens. The 15th amendment allowed black Americans to vote and have a seat in office.

Some African-americans, today, with a lighter skin complexion are a sign of S.A somewhere in the family tree between a slave and white individual.

Red is a color representative of the blood spilled of enslaved black Americans.

Juneteenth is a time for African-Americans in the U.S to celebrate their ancestry, black culture and heritage as well as honor those who lost their lives in order for their free to happen.

For more information on Juneteenth:
https://www.cnet.com/culture/juneteenth-2022-the-history-of-the-holiday-and-how-to-celebrate-today/

For QTBIPOC Events:
Thrive@pridecentervt.org