This Friday, June 19, Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, will be celebrated throughout the United States.

On June 19, 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation was read to enslaved African Americans in Texas. Texas was the last Confederate state to have the proclamation announced.

Juneteenth is a day of reflection on the Past, Present, and Future of Freedom, Unity, and Equality. It has been 155 years since the end of slavery, so why are civil rights still being violated and anyone needs to be reminded of the fact that “BLACK LIVES MATTER”?