The Black Westchester crew discusses the importance of Juneteenth with Wilhelmina Simone- Associate Producer/Co-writer & Jeff Watkins – Organizers of the Juneteenth celebration in Pelham and upcoming documentarians working on their latest film, Pelham Love, and Tuesday Paige McDonald – Executive Director of City of Peekskill Youth Bureau and Minister of Music at Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Check out this important conversation on the official African-American Independence Day – Juneteenth, our heritage, teaching more Black History in schools, healing, heath and wellness in our community and much more. Share this with all your people and as always we welcome you comments and feedback in the comment section below.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the U.S.
Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance... (click here to read more)
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