(6/19/2024) By Rakeah Glass
Program Manager, The Institute for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion/Grants Management
On June 19, we celebrate Juneteenth National Independence Day.
Commonly known as Juneteenth but also referred to as Freedom Day and Black Independence Day, Juneteenth commemorates the day when enslaved people – 250,000 - in Galveston, Texas, the western most Confederate state, received news of their freedom.
Despite President Abraham Lincoln having issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, freedom would not reach those in the state of Texas until June 19, 1865.
Voting and Women’s Rights Activist, Fannie Lou Hamer, said, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free,” and no truer statement could speak to the significance of the day. Should a segment of the population be denied liberties assigned to others, true freedom will remain elusive.
As we go about the day, let us not forget its significance as we continue to allow it to inform our work.
The Institute for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion at Chase Brexton Health Care: The Institute for EDI | Chase Brexton Health Care
