PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Saturday, June 19th, is Juneteenth. For the first time, the commemoration of the end of slavery is a federal holiday.
This year, Philadelphia's Welcome America celebration prominently features Juneteenth along with Independence Day.
The African American Museum in Philadelphia is hosting a series of free events to explore the connection between the holidays.
"What we have seen and experienced over the past several years nationally makes this moment beyond important'," said Ivan Henderson, the museum's vice president of programming.
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The racial reckoning sparked by the murder of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in 2020 helped to raise awareness about Juneteenth, and to speed national recognition of the 155-year-old commemoration.
But while more people have become conversant in the definition of Juneteenth, there is much to learn about its context.
"The 1865 date, to me, is a cultural and ethnic meeting place," Henderson said.
"It's about the traveling of the news of the Emancipation Proclamation and what that meant to Unions and Confederates as much as it is to white people and non-white folks. So here we are this year, finally able to do a little bit more truth-telling to understand that the document itself wasn't a promise of freedom for all, but it is a dynamic post on our timeline that helps us understand who we really are as Americans and as a country."
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Henderson noted the myth that President Abraham Lincoln freed all slaves with the stroke of a pen.
"We needed amendments after June 19, 1865, to guarantee freedom to people who were enslaved in states which were not in rebellion," he said.
"Juneteenth really opens up the right kind of can of worms for us to learn the history that's been hidden from us for so long."
Events marking Juneteenth at the African American Museum in Philadelphia include free admission this weekend (with registration) and a family-friendly outdoor festival with educational activities, food, and live performances.
"There's a grand reconciliation that can happen and some valuable conversations that can occur around this new federal holiday," Henderson said. "It's not just for one group or for the other, but it is a great moment for reflection."
Learn more at aampmuseum.org and welcomeamerica.com.