Yesterday, President Biden made history when he signed into law legislation that made June 19th a national holiday. Juneteenth, or "Juneteenth National Independence Day" as it's now called, celebrates the true end of slavery; that is, the day union soldiers finally informed the formerly enslaved in Texas that all slaves had technically been made free over two years prior. Today, what started as conversations fueled by an episode of ABC's black-ish and the death of George Floyd has resulted in actual, tangible change. "Great nations don't ignore their most painful moments," Biden said during the signing ceremony, but arguably, this one did for a long while. Only one thing truly helped this important milestone in American history gain the recognition it truly deserved, and that, my friends, was TV.
Happy Juneteenth!
![Happy Juneteenth!](/media/articles/juneteenth.jpg.550x380_q85_box-0%2C13%2C640%2C457_crop.jpg.webp)