Join BRIC TV for a Special Juneteenth Virtual Town Hall

Mark Juneteenth with an online town hall and conversation examining the state of freedom in Black communities, “Juneteenth: Then and Now,” part of the BRIC TV #BHeard Town Hall series.

Panelists City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo, organizer and journalist Rosa Clemente, Executive Director of the Police Reform Organizing Project Robert Gangi, and moderator and BRIC TV Managing Editor Brian Vines will discuss freedom in the context of COVID-19, benign neglect and state-sanctioned violence.

Juneteenth commemorates the day when news of Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation finally reached the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. While black Brooklynites of the 19th and early 20th century often held celebrations on or near January 1 when the proclamation was officially released, by the late 20th century Juneteenth had evolved into a national, rather than just regional, celebration of African American family, freedom and achievement.

This week Governor Cuomo signed an executive order recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday for state employees and announced plans for legislation making it an official state holiday next year.

The Town Hall takes place on Friday, June 19 at 7 p.m. on YouTube Live. For more info, check out the event page online.

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