On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously passed a bill establishing June 19 as “Juneteenth National Independence Day”, a U.S. holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth is the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce the abolition of slavery and the end of the Civil War. That came two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Now, the distinguished historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Annette Gordon-Reed, has written a new book called “On Juneteenth.” In it, she looks at history through the medium of a memoir from a Texan’s point-of-view of the long road to Juneteenth, what happened afterward, and how that influenced life in Texas for both her family and her own.” Harvard professor Gordon-Reed joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes to talk about her book and the origins of this holiday.
Interview Highlights:
Why origin stories are important for individuals, as well as nations:
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