Juneteenth celebrates a milestone in African American history. Do some, in and out of Washington, want to sweep that history under the rug?

Juneteenth may mark the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas found out they had been freed, but thousands of people in Oklahoma are still fighting for full citizenship in the tribal nations that once held their ancestors in bondage.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which effectively freed enslaved persons in the Confederate states during the Civil War.

The first specific reference to Juneteenth that I could find in a Maine newspaper didn’t show up until 1937, more than seven decades after the events it honored. The mention came in response to a question in the Morning Sentinel: “What is Juneteenth?”

Juneteenth honors June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce the emancipation of enslaved African Americans — over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation that freed all enslaved people in the Confederacy.

The 2025 Black Wall Street Block Party is a Juneteenth celebration organized by the Salem-Keizer National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The event celebrates freedom, resilience and Black excellence, according to organizers.

When talking about Black liberation, celebration, and history, you must mention Opal Lee, affectionately known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth. She’s more than an elder. She’s a blueprint and a force. A woman whose fierce devotion to justice turned a ...

Juneteenth, celebrated annually on June 19, marks a pivotal moment in American history. On this day in 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved Black Americans in Galveston,