Juneteenth

Juneteenth is a holiday to commemorate the day that the last enslaved Black people learned of their liberation. On June 19, 1865, enslaved Black people in Texas finally learned about President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Last summer, one week before Juneteenth, a police officer shot and killed Rayshard Brooks, an unarmed Black man, at the Wendy’s in Peoplestown. That incident served as a sobering reminder of the ongoing risks faced by Black people in this country. This tragedy affected people around the country and in our local neighborhood. It also had an impact on the Emmaus House staff. In response, Emmaus House leadership decided to recognize Juneteenth as an organization-wide holiday to celebrate and reflect.