Juneteenth

The True Meaning of Juneteenth

Today, June 19th, is a U.S. holiday to honor the day in 1865 when federal troops landed in Galveston, Texas, to enforce federal law and end the last legal sanction of slavery in the United States.
National holidays typically celebrate religious or historic achievements, not universal moral ideals. Juneteenth, Independence Day, and MLK Jr. Day are exceptions. These holidays celebrate the sacred principles of individual dignity and agency. Juneteenth officially recognizes that slavery is incompatible with America’s founding principles, and these principles continue to challenge the world to recognize the moral imperative of equal rights for all individuals.
Let us use this day to remind ourselves of the debt and gratitude we share for the heroes over centuries and across nations who risked, suffered, and persevered in the fight for the liberty that makes our aspirations, achievements, and lives possible.   
One of those who suffered and persevered in this fight for liberty was Frederick Douglass ... He knew that “A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it.”
- The Atlas Society