Just two years ago, Juneteenth was made
into a national holiday to commemorate.
It's so complicated, but the end of slavery,
or when some of the enslaved fod
out that they were actually fre.
And there are multiple events
throughout the DMV today.
First, though, let's head to Leesburg,
VA That's where Jess Arnold is t
the Loudoun County Courthouse ts
morning to talk about an event t
starts there in just a few hour.
Just heavy history behind this,
but it's so important to know ad
remember and commemorate on this day.
Absolutely. And Allison,
you mentioned that it's complicd
what Juneteenth really means.
We're going to talk about that here with
actually the woman who is behind this 5th
annual celebration here of Juneteenth,
Pastor Michelle Thomas,
President of Loudoun County End of La CP,
as well as Loudoun Freedom Cent.
So Allison was saying you
couldn't hear this in your ear,
but it really is complicated
what this day really means.
So can you talk?
Just about it. A bit,
sure. In 1865 there was a order number three.
It was read by General Granger
Gordon or Gordon Granger,
and he was a Union general.
In Galveston, he gave the messae
that enslaved people were free.
But that's not the complicated .
The complicated part is how this has been
taught for so many years that enslaved
people couldn't read and write and so
they didn't know that they were free.
There was an interview by Felix Haywood,
a formerly enslaved person in T,
and he said, listen, we all kne,
all the African Americans knew that we
were free, but they wouldn't let us go.
The enslavers. Kept us there.
They held us in Bundage.
When you read down the general order,
then that's when you get to understand
what Juneteenth is really about.
It's a message to the enslavers as well as
the enslave that they had to force freedom.
That freedom just could not.
Have been done simply by the
Emancipation Proclamation alone.
2 1/2 years later,
Texas is saying I'm not friend people,
we're going to keep this with t.
This is working for us.
And so they sent out this proclamation
and they came there by force.
They had guns and bayonets and y
were literally telling the ensls
the relationship with masters.
Enslaved has to change.
It is now moved to hired help.
It is now moved to a labor forc.
And even today,
you have to understand that Juneteenth
or any type of freedom is never going to
be free just because we signed a bill.
Something comes into law.
It has to be enforced or sometis
even forced.
And so that is the message where we're
still trying to force the freedom to learn.
We're still trying to force the
freedom over our own bodies,
the freedom to vote,
that those things have to be fo.
And so sometimes it takes, you ,
a force greater than just the voices.
On the ground,
sometimes it comes from the system and
the government and sometimes it comes
for people just standing up and being
bold enough to say and enough is enough.
And that's where we are right n.
Yeah.
And and obviously a lot of progress has
been made, but still more to be made.
So, you know, what's your one last message
about where we need to go future wise?
Sure. I wish that there will come a day
that we don't have to celebrate gin tea.
That equality is as second
nature as freedom itself.
And I tell you what,
we're looking towards that day,
but we're not there yet.
We're we're still banning books and history.
Governors all over the state are rethinking
the way they want to tell African American
history or exclude other histor.
We still got a long way to go.
People have to wake up and stay woke.
People have to continue to fight
up and vote up and speak up
and continue to press towards.
Freedom.
We're not there yet,
but we're marching towards it together.
Thank
you so much for joining us.
Speaking of the March,
it starts right here at the Loun
County Courthouse at 9:30 this morning.
But now I'm gonna send
it back to you in studio.
Just Arnold, thank you so much.
That's exactly what we need it, Right.
I think we've been missing that
critical piece of understandingw
this history in fact, plays out.
And thank you for your intervie,
Jess, because what she's been able to
do so eloquent for us this morn.
Is to explain this history and great detail.
And when we have these conversas
about why history is important in school
is because very few people can recite
that information the way that r?
And very few people know about .
It's not
hot and there's some people.
That don't want you to know.
Yeah, so I love that.
Thank you, Jess. Indeed.
And it's important that we all know it.
Most importantly, well,
there was also a big celebration happening
in DC today for Juneteenth at 1,
9:00 o'clock this morning,
the District is hosting its first ever
Juneteenth Health and Wellness .
Now the fitness festival is at
Franklin Park in Northwest and l
feature a live DJ, food trucks,
mini massages and a variety of vendors.
Representing black-owned busine,
at noon you're invited to head
down to Black Lives Matter
Plaza for Community Block Party.
This thing is going to be epic.
Do you see it right there? Righ.
We going to be doing the*
down there because it's the 35t,
It's the 35th anniversary
of school day,
so EU and Sugar Bear and all that. It's
it's a great day. Also, Anthony Brown
going to hear some good gospel music too.
So games, dancing and live music. Has it
been 35 years? Jesus.
It's just going to be an amazing time
there on Black Lives Matter Pla.
Nobody would want to miss that.
We're going to have an HBCU zon.
We're asking all of our HBCU's,
all of the Divine 9,
every sorority and fraternity come out,
represent, get ready to step and stroll.
It's just going to be a fun
filled day for the family.
Yeah, the, you know,
Divine 9 heavily represented in school
days back in the day if you remember.
So we want to hear from you.
How do you plan to celebrate or
honor Juneteenth? The holiday t?
Text us 202-895-5599.
Reach out to us on social media.
Use that hashtag. Get up, DC
All right, let's share a few
comments that we received alrea.
Roslin says that she'll be
giving out Juneteenth flags.
And rocking her own as well.
And Caroline says that she'll be
volunteering with the Sugarland Ethno
History Project out in Poolesvi,
right? If you still need
ideas of how to honor today,
we have a full list of events
that are happening all across te
DMV on our website right now.
Just visit wusa9.com or
download our free mobile app.