Honoring Juneteenth
June 19, 2022 - Today marks the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth, otherwise known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day. Although the Emancipation was signed almost two and half years earlier, it wasn’t until this day in 1865 that the remaining 250,000 people who had been enslaved were liberated in Texas. Newly “Freed” Black women and men turned this day into a celebration establishing Juneteenth.
To Black Flight Attendants: We hope today is a day full of Black joy as you celebrate your power and resilience.
While Juneteenth is a celebration, it’s also a reminder we cannot ignore hate in this country. Over the past year, white supremacy and domestic terrorism has resulted in the murder of more Black lives and the greatest threat to our democracy in our lifetime.
On Juneteenth, and every day: Black Lives Matter.
Last year, President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday in recognition and reflection of America’s ongoing journey to tell our nation’s story and work to fulfill the promise that our nation is of, by, and for the people equally. Until all of us are free, none of us are free.
