The Board of Child Care celebrates Juneteenth. Juneteenth (June 19) marks the Nation’s 2nd Independence Day and is a significant milestone in United State’s history.
President Joe Biden signed a bill yesterday commemorating Juneteenth, the end of slavery in the United States. June 19 is now an official federal holiday!
“By making Juneteenth a federal holiday we are, recognizing the sins of the past, grappling with them, teaching them and learning from them as we work towards a perfect union,” Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, said in a press conference after the Senate passage of the bill. “It will be the only federal holiday that recognizes the terrible legacy of slavery as well as the noble truth that none of us are free until we are all free,” the majority leader continued.
See history happen by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OpS18G-2hw
On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared the end of slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation. Two and half years later, and two months after the end of the Civil War, Union troops arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, to find that news of the Proclamation had not yet reached Galveston and that people were still slaves in Texas.
The annual commemoration of this date, known as Juneteenth, was seen as a stabilizing and motivating presence in the lives of African-Americans in Texas. They, despite their newly acquired freedom, still faced many uncertainties and challenges.
Celebrations of Juneteenth include parades, storytelling, barbecues, and baseball. Strawberry soda pop is the drink of choice, and the building from which General Granger read the Proclamation is now a historic landmark.
BCC celebrates Juneteenth in various ways with special meals consisting of foods reflective of the African Diaspora and providing a professional development workshop. Please join BCC Juneteenth celebration at the following celebrations:
- Juneteenth Professional Development: Solidarity as a Verb Monday, June 21, 1:30 pm-3:30 pm via zoom. Registration instructions will roll out on Monday, June 14. This is a MANDATORY training for all BCC staff.
- Juneteenth Cookout and Information session for BCC West Virginia. Wednesday, June 16.
- Enjoy a special Juneteenth Dinner Menu at our Baltimore Campus Saturday, June 19.
BCC acknowledges Juneteenth as a special holiday with festivities around our communities. Additionally, we are declaring this upcoming Saturday, June 19th a holiday. Everyone working this day will receive holiday pay (which is double their regular hourly rate) to celebrate this day. BCC is also relaxing the “Black Out” requirement for this day. In 2022, BCC will continue the practice of holiday pay for this day and add the Federally recognized Juneteenth day off to add to our celebration!
