Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Juneteenth

Juneteenth

  • Carrying Juneteenth Forward in New York City

    City buildings lit up for Juneteenth (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Black Americans who had been enslaved in Texas finally received word that President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring them free two years earlier on January 1, 1863. 

    It’s easy to imagine the hopes and dreams, long held within, that finally were released into the universe, and the disappointment that surely followed when Black Americans realized that freedom

    ...
  • Juneteenth Arrives Amid Resurgence of Black Lives Matter Movement

    Black History Month at Gracie Mansion

    A Black History Month celebration at Gracie Mansion (photo: Rob Bennett/Mayor's Office)


    Activists plan to utilize Juneteenth, which each June 19 commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, as a way to continue momentum behind the Black Lives Matter movement. Advocates, Black elected officials, candidates for office, and others will rally, protest, and celebrate with events around the city, in continuation of the uprising reignited after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

    “Black joy is an act of resistance,” said Natasha

    ...