June 19, 2026The federal holiday honoring Juneteenth celebrates the announcement on June 19, 1865 letting Texans know that enslaved Americans were free, The federal government would see to it that going forward white people and Black people would be equal, While white legislators in the former Confederacy grudgingly ratified the 13th amendment abolishing enslavement, they also passed laws keeping freedpeople subservient to their white neighbors, Black codes restricted the rights of Black Americans, When Congress refused to readmit states with Black Codes in place, the 13th amendment was added to the Constitution, And in 1866 the 14th Amendment to the Constitution was passed, establishing that no state could discriminate against any of its citizens or take away any of their rights, The federal government encouraged Juneteenth celebrations, which began to spread to Black communities across the nation, While these celebrations declined during the Jim Crow years, after WWII, Black Americans brought the celebrations with them across the US, and in 2021 President Biden signed a measure to create a federal Juneteenth holiday, Pressure from those determined to preserve a government that protects the wealthy and white men today threatens the new nation that Juneteenth celebrated—one that would honor the equality of all Americans.Watch today's recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribeYou can also find me:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson

Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe