FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE–June 12, 2020
Celebrate Juneteenth Week with the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice
As part of the Power Coalition’s “Journey to Equity and Justice,” we will celebrate the Juneteenth holiday (June 19) with a series of events from Monday, June 15 – Saturday, June 20.
NEW ORLEANS, LA | June 12, 2020—On June 19, 1865, the Governor of Texas, Gordon Granger, read the Emancipation Proclamation to enslaved Black folks in the state. The Proclamation had been issued on January 1, 1863, but it wasn’t announced in Texas until more than two years later, making it the last Confederate state to have the Proclamation announced after the end of the Civil War.
Every year, African-Americans celebrate these words that were read on June 19,1865, from General Order No. 3 in the Proclamation: “All slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves.”
In honor of Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Cel-Liberation Day) and the struggle for freedom it celebrates, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice (PCEJ–http://powercoalition.org) will be hosting a week of events from Monday, June 15 – Saturday, June 20. We invite everyone to join and learn more about the fight for equality, equity, and justice that continues to this day.
“The last few weeks have left us all with a lot of feelings, and the message that reverberates the loudest is that the world is saying, enough is enough, systemic racism and its structures must end,” said PCEJ Executive Director Ashley Shelton. “Now more than ever, as our cities, our state, and our country openly grapple with systemic racism in ways that we haven’t seen in more than a generation, it’s imperative that we lift up the history of this holiday and what it represents, especially its relation to policing in this country. We also hope this will provide space for people to think about their place in this movement for liberation, as we all seek to push ourselves and our society forward in a way that honors every person and every voice, especially the voices of Black people, who have been ignored and marginalized for far too long.”
The schedule of events will include an Interfaith Day of Healing on Monday, followed by a Collegiate Day of Action on Tuesday, events to support the striking sanitation workers in New Orleans on Wednesday, and more.
The full schedule is on our website and below:
The Power Coalition for Equity and Justice works to build voice and power in traditionally ignored communities, with a focus on communities of color. We are a coalition of groups from across Louisiana whose mission is to organize in impacted communities, educate and turn out voters, and fight for policies that create a more equitable and just system in Louisiana.
What: Power Coalition for Equity and Justice to celebrate Juneteenth holiday with week of events.
When: June 15-Jun 20, 2020
Contacts:
Ashley Shelton, Executive Director, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, (225) 802-2435, ashelton@powercoalition.org
Peter Robins-Brown, Communications Director, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, (504) 256-8196, prb@powercoalition.org