Join us for Juneteenth! 🗓️
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Season 2: Episode 126 Description
In today's episode: 🤔 How is a 156-year-old holiday only officially turning 2 years old? 🔎 Show host Bethany Van Delft is here to break it down. ✊ Correspondent Pamela Kirkland is back with an update on the activist who successfully fought to make Juneteenth a national holiday, Miss Opal Lee. ✔️ Fun Fact Check: how many flags does Juneteenth have and what do they symbolize? And, test your federal holiday knowledge on today's Trivia on the Ten. ✅
Sources
Juneteenth | History, Meaning, Flag, Importance, & Facts | Britannica
juneteethflagactivity.pdf (si.edu)
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TRANSCRIPT:
Sound Bit 0:01
Parades across the United States have commemorated Juneteenth. The Juneteenth holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and celebrations now take place all over the country. Do we have a lot more to do? Oh, yeah. Are we where we're supposed to be? Not yet.
Bethany Van Delft 0:18
How is a 156-year-old holiday only officially turning two years old. Today we're looking ahead to Juneteenth. I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's Thursday, June 16th. And this is the Ten News.
Various Voices 0:33
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Bethany Van Delft 0:40
For descendants of enslaved Africans living in the US, Juneteenth is both a somber day and a celebration. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed all enslaved people in the United States. But the Civil War was still happening. Then people living in Confederate states, including enslaved black people were still subject to Confederate laws. So even though the law said enslaved people were free, in reality, they were not why. Then when the war ended in April of 1865, enslavers didn't want to lose the free labor and power they had. So they simply didn't tell the people they enslaved about the Emancipation Proclamation. Are you kidding me? Of course, there are no phones or internet. So news only traveled by word of mouth, and the news hadn't reached Texas yet. But finally, on June 19, 1865, two years after the law was passed, and two months after the war ended, the 250,000 enslaved people in Texas learned the truth that they were free. Yes. One year later, June 19th or Juneteenth became an unofficial holiday for the newly free black community in Texas. In 156 years since the first Juneteenth, the holiday spread across the country mainly celebrated in black communities, but finally, was signed into federal law as a holiday in 2021. Juneteenth is often commemorated with festivals, concerts, parades, cultural and educational events, and marches as you celebrate Black Culture black excellence, and Black joy we at the Center wish you a happy Freedom Day. Last year Ten News correspondent Pamela Kirkland spoke to Miss Opal Lee, a gay activist who successfully fought to make Juneteenth a national holiday. Pamela joins us today with an update.
Pamela Kirkland 2:40
If you're a longtime listener to the Ten News, you know, we introduced you last year to miss Opal Lee. She had made it her lifelong mission to make Juneteenth a national holiday. Well, mission accomplished.
Opal Lee 2:56
I'm on a mission for people to be educated about the true meaning of Juneteenth.
Pamela Kirkland 3:03
The 95-year-old had campaigned for years to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Last year, she was invited to the White House for a bill signing ceremony where President Biden made it official.
Opal Lee 3:18
My name is Opal Lee and I've had this marvelous day at the White House, as the young people will say, it's off the chain.
Pamela Kirkland 3:28
She was introduced by Vice President Kamala Harris
Sound Bit 3:32
Looking out across this room. I see the advocates, the activist, the leaders, who have been calling for this day for so long, including the one and only, Miss Opal Lee.
Pamela Kirkland 3:52
And, President Joe Biden.
Sound Bit 3:54
She's made it her mission to see that this day came. She's walked for miles and miles, literally and figuratively, to bring attention to Juneteenth to make this day possible.
Pamela Kirkland 4:06
When we spoke with her Miss Opal told us that when she was a little girl growing up in Texas, she would spend Juneteenth at picnics with her family.
Opal Lee 4:18
Listen, when I was a little one, it was all festival. Oh, I enjoyed it so much. The food, the music, the people, the activities. I was born in Washington, Texas, and that was where I first attended Juneteenth festivals.
Pamela Kirkland 4:38
When she was 10, the family moved to Fort Worth Texas to a mostly white neighborhood. Miss oppo says something terrible happened to her family on June 19th, 1939.
Opal Lee 4:52
people gathered in a neighborhood where my parents had just bought a house, and the news people said that it was 500 of them and the police couldn't control the mob. Our parents sent the three of us to a neighbor several blocks away. And they left under the cover of darkness. But the people had begun to tear the house apart and burn the furniture and everything else. Our parents never discussed it with us. Never.
Pamela Kirkland 5:27
The rioters burned down her home. She said that the racial violence that happened at her house on June 19th inspired her to become an activist and to teach people that Juneteenth isn't just about picnics and festivals.
Opal Lee 5:44
And I'm hoping that the young people understand what happened so long ago. And the fact that it took two and a half years for people in Texas to get the word that they were free. I'm wanting them to be sure in their lifetime, that these kinds of things don't happen again.
Pamela Kirkland 6:07
In 2016, she decided she would start walking to bring more attention to Juneteenth. Keep in mind that this is her 89th birthday. When she decided she wanted to start this walk. She walked from her house in Texas to Washington DC. Every day, she would walk two and a half miles to represent the two and a half years that black Texans waited after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed to when they got word they were free. On June 19th, 1865, Miss Opal walked for four months clocking in at 1400 miles.
Opal Lee 6:48
I believe all people should be aware. I believe that they need to know that this shouldn't happen again. I truly believe that we can bridge the gap that seems to divide us. And I think that we can do it together. None of us have free until we're all free.
Pamela Kirkland 7:18
We asked her why making Juneteenth a national holiday was so important to her.
Opal Lee 7:25
The United States is the greatest country in the world. And there's no reason for the division that still exists. So I'll keep on walking. Keep on talking til Juneteenth which is a national holiday.
Pamela Kirkland 7:43
Just because Juneteenth is now a federal holiday doesn't mean Miss Opal is done. She's making her yearly trip to Washington DC from Fort Worth Texas again this year. Miss opals, asking for support to continue her mission to educate the country about freedom. And she hopes others will walk with her from wherever they are.
Bethany Van Delft 8:08
Thank you, Pamela. It's so important to honor the work of the people who came before us and allowed us to be where we are today and live the lives we live today. Activists and campaigners like Misskelley have spent their time their energy and their lives making our world better by keeping history alive. We have so much gratitude for Miss Opal Lee and we're sending a few Ten New snaps. Flags and their colors tell stories. And Juneteenth has not one but two flags. Only one is red, white, and blue just like the US flag to represent that the people freed in Texas were American citizens nice. The second is the African liberation flag, a flag that symbolizes the unity of all people from Africa. It's read to stand for struggle and sacrifice black to stand for black people in green to stand for the natural wealth of Africa. Awesome. And now here to give us the news rundown is our head writer, Ryan Willard.
Ryan Willard 9:16
Thanks, Bethany. I'm Ryan. And here's your rundown. Record-breaking floods hit Yellowstone National Park this week. The National Park remain closed through at least Wednesday after dangerous flooding conditions prompted Park evacuations the above-average rainfall and snowmelt combined to produce up to three-quarters of a foot of water runoff, which is about two to three months of June precipitation and only three days while many were evacuated. No injuries have yet been reported. Hill, a kindergarten class has raised and set 18 orphan turtles free the kindergarteners in stone harbor New Jersey rescued the 18 turtles at the beginning of the school year, raise them throughout and just release them back into the wild. This is part of a 20-year program from the wet Lynn Institute of the stone harbor to kindergarteners who also sell cookies throughout the year with the proceeds going to diamondback terrapin conservation. That's great. The US House passed a major wildlife conservation spending bill. The recovering America's Wildlife Act was passed by the US House and a 231 to 190 vote on Tuesday and would create an annual fund of more than $1.3 billion distributed to states, territories, and tribal nations for wildlife conservation. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US has more than 1600 endangered or threatened species. The past bill will now move on to the Senate. Ready, go. I'm Ryan. That's a rundown. And back to you, Bethany.
Bethany Van Delft 10:45
Coming up next...
Sound Bit 10:47
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 10:50
Trivia on the Ten. Miss Opal Lee fought to make Juneteenth a federal holiday and she succeeded. But how many federal holidays are there? Is it a) 6 b) 11 or c) 16? Did you guess it? The answer is B. Juneteenth is the most recent federal holiday signed into law on June 17, 2021. It's the 11th Federal holiday. Federal holidays are the big ones. Businesses closed, schools closed, and communities host local events. The official day of the Federal holiday is Juneteenth National Independence Day because it's the day when all Americans became legally free. That's our show. But before we go, here's a quick note for the grown-ups. Thanks for listening to the Ten News. Look out for our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is waving their Juneteenth flags and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Ryan Willard, Adam Barnard, and Tessa Flannery. Pamela Kirkland contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft, and thanks for listening to the Ten News. I'll leave you today with this quote from Fannie Lou Hamer. "Nobody's free until everybody's free." Happy Juneteenth!
