GSU History Professor Discusses Juneteenth Being Celebrated As American Holiday
Friday marks the first time Juneteenth is being recognized as a national holiday, 156 years after Union Army Gen. Gordon Granger first notified Black people in Texas of the ending of slavery.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
Tiffany A. Player, an assistant professor of history at Georgia State University, was a guest on Friday’s edition of “Closer Look.”
Player talked with show host Rose Scott about the history of Juneteenth and the importance of it now being recognized as a federal holiday.
Player also shared why she feels the spirit of Juneteenth expands beyond it being celebrated as a holiday and serves a pathway to have more continued conversations about race, slavery and other inequities that exist in the U.S.
“We all are inheritors of this history, whether our ancestors were enslaved or not, and I think Juneteenth in that way is a very ideal American holiday,” Player said.
To listen to the full conversation, click the audio player above.
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