Posted on June 19, 2020

Juneteenth Events, Road Closures, Weather + More. Here’s Everything You Need to Know

ABC7 News, June 19th 2020

Today on June 19, the nation is commemorating Juneteenth, a day considered the oldest known celebration that marked the end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865.

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The holiday recognizes the day in 1865 that Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas with the news that the Civil War ended and that enslaved African Americans were now free.

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The term Juneteenth is a combination of the words June and nineteen and is also referred to as Freedom Day or Juneteenth Independence Day. {snip}

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Here are some of the events scheduled for June 19.

D.C.

  • The Labor March: Scheduled for 5 p.m. at the newly renamed Black Lives Matter plaza.
  • Strike for Black Lives: The group is actually calling for disruptive actions aimed at shutting down the city: strikes, sick-outs, blockades.
  • Six Nineteen: Defend Black Lives: This group lists several local events for its “6.19 Day of Action.” Their demands are: defund the police and invest in black communities.
  • Black Students Matter Rally: This event is being organized by “Educators for Equity.” Students and families will begin making signs at 10:00 a.m. at Freedom Plaza.

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