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What is Juneteenth, and why is it important? - Karlos K. Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio

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At the end of the Civil War, though slavery was technically illegal in all states, it still persisted in the last bastions of the Confederacy. This was the case when Union General Gordon Granger marched his troops into Galveston, Texas on June 19th and announced that all enslaved people there were officially free. Karlos K. Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio dig into the history of Juneteenth.

Emancipation in the United States was a staggered process, sometimes not taking effect until years after the 13th Amendment passed. Some enslaved people living in the South did not learn about their freedom until after General Granger’s announcement in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1866. This date, Juneteenth, became a day of annual celebration. How was celebrating emancipation seen as an act of resistance, even after freedom was guaranteed by law?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Karlos K. Hill, Soraya Field Fiorio
  • Director Rémi Cans, Atypicalist
  • Narrator Christina Greer
  • Animator Dabid Pascual
  • Art Director Marine Hennes
  • Sound Designer Weston Fonger
  • Composer Jarrett Farkas
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Producer Anna Bechtol
  • Associate Producer Abdallah Ewis
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Editorial Producer Cella Wright
  • Fact-Checker Charles Wallace

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