Happy Juneteenth

Happy Juneteenth! Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. This was two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Juneteenth has been observed annually in various parts of the United States and only recently became a federal holiday when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law in 2021. Juneteenth has been called America’s second Independence Day. I had the pleasure of celebrating Juneteenth at the US Embassy in London. Ambassador Hartley welcomed the guests and Rebeca Lewis, Founder of US Embassy London’s Blacks in Diplomacy (BID), Employee Organization Economic Affairs’ Environment, Science, Technology, and Health Officer, hosted 500 guests featuring music, dance, vendors, food, drinks, and lots of networking and fellowship. I was so happy to see friends and former colleagues who I haven’t seen and met so many people who are continuing to pave the way for the next generation. As Barack Obama tweeted last year “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”. So while we celebrate how far we have come; let us not forget that we still have some more work to do.