Honoring Juneteenth 2020
A day of celebration, reflection, remembrance of ancestors — and dedication to helping the nation fulfill its ideals
Video by the National Museum of African American History and Culture
The Emancipation Proclamation leads, eventually, to a kind of second founding of the American Republic which is rooted in the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.
— paraphrasing historian David Blight, in “Emancipation Proclamation Legacy”
Juneteenth, the earliest known public celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S. took place on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas. The day is now observed annually across the country as a day of celebration, reflection, remembrance of ancestors — and dedication to helping the nation fulfill its ideals. In 2020, the day will include demonstrations calling for an end to the systemic racism that continues to afflict the country. As of June 2020, 47 of the 50 U.S. States and the District of Columbia have recognized Juneteenth as either a state holiday, ceremonial holiday, or a day of observance. History of Juneteenth
MIT Humanistic Resources for Racial Equity and Social Justice
MIT and the Legacy of Slavery
Research class, stories, videos, and community dialogues
“I think that we have to revisit these events — no matter how painful that process might be — to challenge the entrenched and embedded inequities of our system."
— Craig Steven Wilder, Barton Weller Professor of History, MIT