Juneteenth is a time to commemorate the anniversary of the delayed news of freedom reaching the enslaved Black folks in Galveston, Texas. Today, we remember that struggle for freedom as we reflect on how far we’ve come as a country—and on the work that remains undone.
We remember that even in the darkest hours, there is cause to hope for tomorrow’s light. Let us all recommit ourselves today to honoring those who fought over generations to steer our country closer to our highest ideals.
Today, I hope you’ll take some time to celebrate and learn more about Juneteenth. Here are some ways to recognize this important day. https://t.co/BmqY8NnXac
It is not helpful to tell people of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, etc that they should move. First of all, most of you saying this have no space. Two — there is no where to go. This country is collapsing colonial project. This is it. Where you are is where you fight.
We have updated our guide of resources for Texans who are without power, water or food.
If you are able to donate money, resources or time, you can check out these links for organizations across the state that are helping people. https://t.co/CTkJDnex6i
Encouraged to see power coming back to much of Texas. However, many still without electricity and millions still struggling to get drinking water and food. @TexasTribune has put together a helpful guide on where to get help and how to help across Texas: https://t.co/eUWudHaZQI
Texas needs our help 🙏🏾❤️. There are organizations on the ground that need our assistance in helping Texans stay warm and safe. Donate, call, share, volunteer, pray. Whatever you can do to help! I’ll continue to share info and resources. Stay tuned and stay safe ❤️ pic.twitter.com/yABLWHNEh4
If you are able, please consider making a donation to help these families in Texas. Information on how to donate below. ❤️🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/u7L0M5Dg6z
Michelle and I are thinking of everyone across the country braving the winter storms this week. Here’s an overview of how you can help—or, if you’re in Texas, where you can go to stay warm or get support. https://t.co/zDnLrjOZ5i
For those without heat in Texas, there are warming shelters throughout the state. See map at link below or call 211 for assistance. If you have a medical device that requires power, call 911. Texas twitter, please add additional resources to this thread. https://t.co/1RcNbFfTwZ
For those who have power or who are outside of Texas - we are calling senior citizens across the state this evening to see how we can connect them with assistance where needed. You can join us here: https://t.co/nGO5Uj50hA
Just spent the last 2 hours phone banking here in Texas. I called a grandmother. She’s 91. Black. She answered so sweet. I told her who I was, and asked if she was registered to vote for November. She said YES MAAM! I said, “wonderful. I hope we can expect your support...”
“.... for the Biden Harris ticket.” She said, “Harris?” I said yes. She said, “He picked Kamala“ and broke down in tears, and started praying for Kamala. 😭
I started to cry because I knew why this moment was heavy. I asked her, “what was she feeling?” She said...
“baby, I’m overjoyed. Look at God.” I told her I’ve been emotional all afternoon thinking about my slave great great grandparents, and how I wish they knew it would get better. She told me about her days picking cotton, and about her scarred hands.
She talked about her grandfather being lynched. She told me she hoped Kamala had the best security. She’s afraid someone will try to hurt her. We prayed again.
Before we hung up she told me to dream bigger than my last dream. I promised I would.
Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory, or an acceptance of the way things are. It's a celebration of progress. It's an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible––and there is still so much work to do.https://t.co/5XCRdnk3iR
"Juneteenth is a time to recommit ourselves to the work that remains undone. We remember that even in the darkest hours, there is cause to hope for tomorrow’s light."—@BarackObama, 2016 pic.twitter.com/WQ2C4QXLG3
— The Obama Foundation (@ObamaFoundation) June 19, 2020
— Rebecca Theodore-Vachon 🇭🇹 🇩🇴 🇺🇸 (@FilmFatale_NYC) June 19, 2020
#OTD in 1865, enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom by Union troops in Galveston Bay, TX—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.
Though it has long been celebrated among the African American community, it is a history that has been marginalized & still remains largely unknown to the wider public. The legacy of #Juneteenth shows the value of deep hope & urgent organizing in uncertain times. #APeoplesJourneypic.twitter.com/juqbpOGxYu
Although the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control, some enslaved people would not be free until much later.
For more than 250,000 African Americans, June 19, 1865, signaled the final day of their enslavement. Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, Texas had yet to officially recognize the President’s executive order. #APeoplesJourneypic.twitter.com/1eZrAfElgv
Not until Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX with 2,000 soldiers on June 19, 1865, did enslaved African Americans learn about their emancipation.
Until all of us stand up and insist on holding public officials accountable for changing our gun laws, these tragedies will keep happening: https://t.co/reTnmcg3xo
'The four children all under age 3 with teenage mothers or guardians, were feverish, coughing, vomiting and had diarrhea... One 2-year-old’s eyes were rolled back in her head.'
An attorney "met one 16-year-old mother whose 8-month-old baby was sick with the flu and forced to sleep outside for four days... The mother said the guards took the clothing off the baby’s back, leaving her in a diaper, and forced them to sleep on concrete without a blanket."
Outside the Oval Office, I kept a painting of a small crowd huddled around a pocketwatch, waiting for the moment the Emancipation Proclamation took effect. On Juneteenth, we celebrate the anniversary of that news - freedom - reaching slaves in Texas. And something more: pic.twitter.com/kSkLHbfnc3
On Juneteenth, we celebrate our capacity to make real the promise of our founding, that thing inside each of us that says America is not yet finished, that compels all of us to fight for justice and equality until this country we love more closely aligns with our highest ideals. pic.twitter.com/2XAKRuRrbG
The Obama Diary 
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