Cronkite school of journalism at
Arizona state university.
Judy: Today marked the second
time in U.S. History the federal
government has recognized
juneteenth, the holiday separate
-- celebrates June 19, 18 65,
when union soldiers brought the
news of slavery's end to
galveston, Texas, freeing the
last enslaved people.
Omnibus --amna nawaz looks at
the conversation around this
history.
>> In Washington, D.C. Kamala
Harris visits the
African-American museum of
history.
>> Let this be a day to
celebrate the principle of
freedom and speak about it
honestly and accurately.
Amna: Galveston, Texas with the
longest running juneteenth
celebration.
The Saturday event honored the
last enslaved people in
galveston in 1865, and one of
the men who made his career
making sure their stories were
told.
>> My father was focused on
making juneteenth not just a
state holiday, but a national
holiday.
Everyone deserves to know the
truth about the history that
happened here in galveston,
Texas.
Amna: Generations of black
families in Houston, Texas have
long celebrated this day.
>> I cherish this day and all
those that follow this one
because of what a lot of my
ancestors went through.
The struggle for us.
Amna: The so-called grandmother
of that modern struggle, former
teacher and civil rights leader
Opal Lee -- Opal Lee, who stood
by resident Biden's side when he
made juneteenth a holiday last
year.
Lee led her to .5 mile March to
mark the 2.5 years it took
between the emancipation
proclamation and union troops
officially announcing the end of
slavery in Texas.
The work to end its long legacy
is far from over, she says.
>> You know people who are not
on the same page and so you have
to change their minds.
Amna: All 50 states and the
district of Columbia recognized
juneteenth in some form.
Texas was first in 19 80, but so
far, only 24 states and D.C.
Have made it a public paid
holiday, the more states could
soon follow.
The city of Boston marked the
holiday with a celebration of
lack arts and culture.
Philadelphia marked the day with
its first juneteenth parade
since the start of the pandemic.
A celebration of America's story
more fully told.
>> Juneteenth becoming a federal
holiday elevated conversations
about black history and the
legacy of slavery in America,
but where are those
conversations today?
I am joined by a professor, the
founding director of the center
for the study of race and
democracy at the university of
Texas Austin where he is also a
professor of history.
He is the author of the upcoming
book "The third reconstruction."
Professor, thank you back to
"The newshour."
Thank you for joining us on this
holiday.
Guest: Great to be here.
Amna: You wrote about this
second juneteenth, you said that
you found hope in what you
called the resurgent interest in
black history that followed
juneteenth becoming a federal
holiday.
I wanted to ask, what was that
hope based on, what did you see
happening in guest: The last
year?
Guest:the hope -- happening in
the last year?
Guest: The hope is in grassroots
interest and president Biden and
others trying to confront
slavery and the fact we are a
democracy whose roots are in
racial slavery and that makes
this a complex place to live in.
People say the country suffers
from systemic racism, they are
not saying they dislike or hate
the country.
They are saying that because
they love the country.
Juneteenth reflects a
complicated history of America
and American democracy, but
paradoxically brings us closer
to being the community that
martin Luther king junior wrote
about and spent his life trying
to achieve.
Amna: You had a line in a recent
piece that stuck with me.
You said juneteenth offers a
window for Americans into
understanding how the political
is personal.
What did you mean by that?
Guest: We have some any great
stories about people celebrating
juneteenth with their family and
friends over the decades.
These were real people, personal
stories.
Black people of galveston
celebrating.
Stories of black people trying
to leave plantations in eastern
Texas and other places to
reunite with loved ones.
When we think about the personal
and political, this is as
important a holiday for America
as July 4.
There were 4 million Americans
who were disallowed to be
considered citizens, disallowed
to embody the dignity they knew
they had, solely because of race
and slavery.
Juneteenth provides a context to
understand this is not a story
about them, it is a story about
us.
Amna: We have to point out there
are strong opposing forces at
play.
We have a slew of legislative
efforts led mostly by Republican
lawmakers to stop efforts in
schools from people teaching
about the history of racism in
America, the afterlife of
enslavement in America,
punishing teachers who try to
talk about some of these topics.
What does that tell you about
where we are?
Guest: It tells me we are a
complicated nation.
On the one hand we have
juneteenth and supporters of
multiracial democracy.
On the other hand, we have anti-
crt legislation and the January
6 hearings, those soup borders
-- those supporters of
legislation that existed during
slavery and Jim crow.
We are still caught in that bind
of folks who believe and support
multiracial democracy and those
who think about America as a
less inclusive place, a place
that should be dominated by the
white male founders.
We know that the founders were
multiracial, multiethnic,
multicultural women as well as
men.
It just shows me we are making
progress, but still caught in
the feedback loop of the history
that those do not want us to
know about juneteenth seem
determined to deny.
>> You mentioned the January 6
hearings.
What is the parallel between
what you see unfolding there and
our conversations around black
history?
Guest: January 6 is the
grassroots cousin of the racial
intolerance we see used to
divide folks politically in the
21st century.
January 6 has real roots in the
reconstruction right after the
civil war where, on the one
hand, juneteenth reflects, we
had a move to reimagine American
democracy as multiracial or
multicultural.
On the other hand, we have the
rise of the Ku klux Klan, poll
taxes and legislation to deny
black voting rights, the rise of
the police system, the rise of
violent coups against duly
erected -- duly elected
governments.
Where an interracial black and
white government is violently
overthrown.
There are different versions of
January 6 that led to the end of
reconstruction in the 1870's and
1880's.
When we think of juneteenth
taking place against the
backdrop of January 6 and
legislation to deny the teaching
of black history and deny the
history of racial injustice,
they are all connected.
We are an American family
collectively even where there
are partisan, political, and
ideological divisions.
Juneteenth allows us a context
to explore these divisions and
explore what unifies us as
Americans.
Amna: From the university of
Texas at Austin, professor
Joseph, thank you for your time.
Guest: Thanks.