Here’s How Hollywood Is Celebrating Juneteenth!

Happy Juneteenth, kinfolk!

June 19th commemorates the day Union soldiers landed in Galveston, Texas in 1865 with news that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved Africans were free — this was 2 1/2 years President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had become official on January 1, 1863.

In celebration of this day, many cities hold parades, families barbecue, and others reflect on the history of this nation and continue the fight for equality. Ta-Nehisi Coates, Danny Glover and other performed the latter.

The famed author and the award-winning actor spoke to members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The conversation was also a strong showing for the fight for reparations. Run me my 40 acres and my mule!

Netflix announced “Dear White People” would be returning for season 3 on August 2. And to celebrate that announcement, and Juneteenth, they decided to tackle an age-old question: Salt or Sugar in your Grits?

Barack Obama posted a reminder of the history of Juneteenth and that there’s still work to be done.

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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: 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.

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Jun 19, 2019 at 10:02am PDT

And our head honcho posted a beautiful tribute to the members of his family who paved the way for him to be able to “enjoy the fruits of their labors and hardships.”

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It’s #Juneteenth and I want to take a moment to celebrate the people who I share DNA with who were the first generation of African Americans in this country to be born after emancipation. Not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate how they maximized under the most oppressive conditions so that I can live a better life today. 1. My grandfather Peter Poinsette a beautiful and dignified man, who was GQ before GQ. At a time when it was hard for a black man to vote, he owned three homes, and sent all three of his daughters to college. I still adhere to the lessons he taught me as a boy today. 2. His sister Septima Clark, the godmother of the civil rights movement. A gentle and dignified woman who spent her life uplifting people of all races in the fight for equality. 3. This was the first picture you would see when you walked in my grandparents house. My great great grandfather, standing proudly with his team at the colored fire department. He was the captain and my grandmother always made sure we knew that he was a man we should be proud of. People always wonder if I get tired when I’m traveling or working long hours, and I always think about these three, and what they sacrificed so I could enjoy the fruits of their labors and hardships. I carry them every where I go, and I salute them today. Who do you want to remember on this Juneteenth? Shout them out in the comments … happy #juneteenth

A post shared by Kevin Frazier (@kevinfrazier) on Jun 19, 2019 at 10:06am PDT