Local Professor Says Juneteenth Should Be Remembered, Not Celebrated

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Photo credit Demonstrators speak during a Juneteenth celebration that protested the police shooting of Antwon Rose on June 23, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Rose, an unarmed black teenager, was shot Tuesday night, leading to protests and outraged across the city. (Photo by Justin Merriman/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, is now a state holiday in Pennsylvania.

Governor Wolf signed the proclamation Tuesday as African Americans commemorate 154 years since the end of slavery.

June 19 commemorates the day the last slaves were freed in Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Many communities hold local celebrations for the anniversary.

But CCAC Ethnic and Diversity Studies Professor Dr. Ralph Proctor tells KDKA Radio's Lynne Hayes-Freeland he does not:

“A celebration of Juneteenth would be like celebrating the middle passage voyage that brought us (African Americans) from Africa,” said Proctor. “Noting it, commemorating it, remembering it, that’s good.”