juneteenth
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When Black Twitter Celebrated the First Juneteenth
Have you ever wondered what social media would have looked like on the first Juneteenth? Me either. But since we do this Social Studies thing every day, we’ve selected a few social media posts to imagine what this column would have looked like if Black Twitter existed on June 19, 1865, as the news broke…
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The Timeless Freedom of Miss Juneteenth
What does freedom look like? When you’re a black person in America living in a post-civil rights era world, currently suffocating from the smoke in a racist climate as the words “I Can’t Breathe” echo in the sky, the answer to that question is…complicated, to say the very least. June 19, 2020 marks 155 years…
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30 Days of Iconic Music Video Blackness With VSB, Day 19: Public Enemy, 'Fight The Power'
For a song that came out over 30 years ago, Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power”—created for the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s 1989 classic film, Do The Right Thing—remains remarkably resonant even in 2020. We’re still at war with structural racism and all of the issues that existed at the time of the song’s creation are…
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Tick Tock: Watchmen Will Be Free on HBO for a Few Days Starting on Juneteenth—You Must Watch It
Tick Tock, tick tock… the clock will be ticking starting June 19. While a dollop of dimwits will be laying out their flag onesies on the bed in preparation for the now-rescheduled white supremacist pre-game session masked as a presidential campaign rally, people with sense may be wondering how to spend their time wisely to…
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Christopher Trumplumbus: I Discovered Juneteenth!
Before Trump took office, Juneteenth was just hanging out in an African village with Kwanzaa and the rest of the black holidays just living a marginal life. The holidays weren’t really asking for much but after Trump said Juneteenth’s name on the Summer Jam stage, Juneteenth blew up. It literally was like Juneteenth didn’t have…
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Looking for Things to Do on Juneteenth? We've Got You Covered
This Friday is the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, so even if you’re trying to keep your distance from others, there are still a few ways you can celebrate this monumental occasion. If you don’t have any plans to keep yourself occupied this particular weekend, social media is chock full of entertainment at your fingertips, and…
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Juneteenth Is Finally Entering the Mainstream American Consciousness. Now Make It An Official Federal Holiday
Forget the 4th of July! Juneteenth is the day that should be celebrated by all as a pivotal point in America’s freedom story. One-hundred-and-fifty-five years ago this year, the last of the enslaved black population in Galveston, Texas received word that they were officially free. Despite the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which…
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Teyana Taylor Features Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill on The Album, Which Arrives on Juneteenth
Teyana Taylor’s third studio LP will arrive at the end of this week. With its straightforward title, The Album drops Juneteenth (June 19) and is expected to feature a slew of big names as musical guests. The native Harlemite announced on Instagram that the project will feature 23 different songs split into five “studios,” each…
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‘It’s Time We Elevate This’: Gov. Northam Declares Juneteenth a Paid Holiday in the State of Virginia
Well, good people, it’s finally happening: Virginia, the state that was once home to the capital of the Confederacy, is set to make Juneteenth a paid holiday. Gov. Ralph Northam announced his proposal to make the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. an official state holiday Tuesday. “Every year we celebrate…
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Stunt Queen Trump Schedules Rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth, Changes It After People Call Out The Obvious
Donald Trump is racist. Donald Trump thinks he is clever. Donald Trump probably thought scheduling a rally on Juneteenth—in Tulsa, where white rioters once massacred 300 black people for the temerity of being prosperous and self-sufficient, and during a time when people across the country are protesting in the streets against racism—was a clever way…