Millions of people across the United States participated in massive demonstrations to celebrate 155 years since the end of slavery as tensions about racial injustice in the country remain high
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th June, 2020) Millions of people across the United States participated in massive demonstrations to celebrate 155 years since the end of slavery as tensions about racial injustice in the country remain high.
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865. On that date, Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger told a group of black slaves in Galveston, Texas, that the 1861-65 Civil War had ended and that they were free in accordance with President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.
Some of the biggest marches took place on the streets of Chicago, Oakland, New York City, Washington, DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Seattle, among others.
People chanted "justice now," "power to the people," and "George Floyd" in unison.
Demonstrators held signs and banners with pictures of George Floyd, an African American man who died in police custody in Minneapolis in late May. Many others held signs with "Black Lives Matter" written on them.
The date is recognized in 47 states and the District of Columbia.
Some states, like Virginia, have recently moved to make it a paid public holiday. So did scores of major US companies for their employees, including Mastercard, Target, The New York Times, Twitter, Uber, Spotify, Nike, the National Football League.
A public outcry forced President Donald Trump to delay till Saturday his first post-quarantine election rally for it not to overlap with Juneteenth. He is also criticized for an insensitive venue choice - Tulsa, Oklahoma, where white mobs attacked black residents in 1921. The tragedy, which some historians believe may have claimed up to 300 lives, is lamented as the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.
Earlier this week, Trump signed an executive order aimed at curbing police violence as US Congress reached an impasse over a new law enforcement reform bill.
