Letter: We must hold Juneteenth as sacred as July 4 celebrations

Letter to the Editor

By Kristal Royce Rivers

Kristal Royce Rivers is a Cook County Circuit Judge. She writes to reflect on Juneteenth, a holiday marked each year on June 19 to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States.

Posted June 23, 2020 12:06 PM

You may have recently heard about Juneteenth. It is the quintessential “All-American Independence Day.”It’s where America took a huge step forward to live up to its idea of true freedom and equality.On July 4, 1776, the U.S. formally broke free from British oppression, yet kept some of its people enslaved. On Juneteenth, June 19, 1865 — two years, six months and 19 days after the Emancipation Proclamation — the last large masses of American-held slaves learned of their freedom.Juneteenth is …

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