Marches against racism celebrate the abolition of slavery
Yesterday, June 19, the celebrations by Juneteenth took to the streets again in an unusual frame, since they combined with the marches for racial protests for the death of George Floyd (an African -American man who was killed in Minneápolis byPolice, asphyxiating it with the knee) with the celebration of the proclamation of the thirteen amendment.
Juneteenth, is an English neologism that combines the words ‘June’ and ’19th’, as the symbolic day of 1865, when the greatest general of the Army of the Union, Gordon Granger, read the proclamation of emancipation of Abraham Lincoln,abolishing slavery in a plantation in Galveston, Texas.
The proclamation had been signed by the president two years before, but had little effect on many African -American people enslaved and retained in the south that was confederated territory. Slavery was prohibited throughout the country a few months later when thirteen amendment was ratified:
‘Neither in the United States nor anywhere subject to its jurisdiction there will be slavery or forced labor, except as punishment for a crime that the person responsible has been duly convicted”.
Because of this, dozens of events took place in the five districts of New York City, since the mayor, Bill de Blasio, who has been widely criticized for the violent repression of the police against the protesters in recent weeks, he announcedthat from next year on June 15 it would be an official city of the celebration.
In Marcus Garvey de Harlem park, hundreds of people who put facial masks celebrated African -American identity and culture with African music, food and art. In West Harlem, a meeting led by men called ‘Protect our queens’ demanded justice for Breonna Taylor and other colored women killed by the police. Taylor, a 26 -year -old African -American woman, was shot dead in March by the police who entered her home in Louisville, Kentucky without warning.
The greatest conscience has served to address systemic racism in American society that affects all spheres of the life of Afro -descendant, black and brown people, including education, housing, voting rights, health, police,Environmental Justice, Incarceration and Economic Inequity.
Several companies, including Twitter and Target, gave employees the free day in the middle of a growing equality approach to the private sector in the exhibition of racial and economic injustice. This holiday is not universally known and is not taught in many schools.
Last Friday, Senate Democrats, including former presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, presented legislation to make June 15 a national holiday day.
Finally, the opposition of the Republicans is expected to face this initiative since they are a majority in the Senate.
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