Juneteenth:Celebrating Emancipation, Striving for Freedom

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Today I had the pleasure of sharing the history and significance of Juneteenth with the US Embassy in New Zealand. Though this story may feel far away and long ago, no corner of the globe was untouched by the Transatlantic Slave Trade. There would have been no British Colony of New Zealand without the wealth and might derived by compelling Africans to slave labor. This is world history. And the celebration of emancipation is relevant for all who value human dignity, free labor, and political self-determination.