Recognize/Celebrate/Educate – Juneteenth 2023
Published on May, 42 2023
By George Friday
Program Committee Chair
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There is a need to strengthen national, regional and international cooperation in relation to the full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights by people of African descent, and their full and equal participation in all aspects of society. The theme for the International Decade is identified as “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development” with the following objectives: • Promote respect, protection and fulfilment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by people of African Descent, as recognised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; • Promote a greater knowledge of and respect for the diverse heritage, culture and contribution of people of African descent to the development of societies; • Adopt and strengthen national, regional and international legal frameworks according to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and to ensure their full and effective implementation. Excerpts from the WILPF RESOLUTION 33rd Congress 24 July 2022 Supporting the International Decade for People of African Descent |
Slavery was abolished in the United States on December 6, 1865.
The 13th Amendment passed Congress in January but wasn't ratified until December 6th of 1865. While the bill passed in January of that year, many states with enslaved Africans did not hear that news for months.
The Emancipation Proclamation had freed enslaved people two years prior but it wasn't until the end of the Civil War that Union troops began to enforce the order for freedom in the Confederate States.
On June 19, 1865, Texas was informed. Juneteenth became an official holiday in Texas in 1980. It took an executive order to make it a federal holiday. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in June 2021.
It is observed as such in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Delaware. DC. Virginia. West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, Utah. Idaho, Oregon, Washington State, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia.
If you live in any of these states, take the opportunity to participate in or hold an event in recognition of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth is Monday, June 19
Attend an event and share info about WILPF US!! Recruit new members!!
If you are not in these states, consider an action, LTE campaign, or another public education method to call for your state to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday.
For more Information, email George Friday at: ProgramChair-Friday@wilpfUS.org.
