by rachel | Jun 9, 2025 | Uncategorized
For decades, the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) worked behind the scenes to make Juneteenth a national holiday. Their legacy is one of persistence, partnership, and purpose. Behind the Movement When President Biden signed Juneteenth into law as a... by rachel | Jun 9, 2025 | Uncategorized
After 156 years of celebration, struggle, and persistence, Juneteenth—Black America’s Freedom Day—was signed into law as a national holiday on June 17, 2021. But its journey began generations before that. Long Time Coming For more than 150 years, Black communities... by rachel | Jun 9, 2025 | Uncategorized
Opal Lee Walked So We Could Celebrate From 2016 to 2021, a then-89-year-old activist walked across America to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Her mission was simple—but historic. Opal Lee walked for justice, memory, and the freedom still unfolding. The Grandmother... by rachel | Jun 9, 2025 | Uncategorized
Midnight Watch: When Freedom Was on the Clock On December 31, 1862, Black communities gathered in churches across the country—not just to welcome a new year, but to await a new world. The Emancipation Proclamation was hours away. They prayed, they sang, they waited.... by rachel | Jun 9, 2025 | Uncategorized
Lt. André Cailloux: A Hero’s Death, A Nation’s Reckoning One of the first Black officers in the Union Army, Lt. André Cailloux died leading a doomed charge at Port Hudson. His bravery shattered racist myths and helped turn the tide of how the nation viewed Black... by rachel | Jun 9, 2025 | Uncategorized
The 1st Kansas Colored Infantry: First to Fight for Freedom Before the Emancipation Proclamation. Before the 54th Massachusetts. The 1st Kansas Colored Infantry took up arms, defied expectations, and proved to the nation that Black soldiers were ready to fight—and...