Photo: public domainJuneteenth marks an occasion we should all celebrate, but Independence Day is the foundation upon which Juneteenth stands. As far as Juneteenth, the holiday marking the end of slavery in America, is concerned, Opal Lee, now 96, dubbed the “grandmother of the movement (to federalize the Juneteenth holiday)” was captured in a dubious photo op that will likely grace the walls of the African American museum in Washington, DC. The U.S. government being “slow to embrace” the Juneteenth holiday, according to The Associated Press, was remedied when Biden signed Public Law 17. “The story behind Juneteenth and how it became a federal holiday.” ABC News, 7 June 2023, https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/story-juneteenth-federal-holiday-99908128. “Meet Opal Lee, the 'grandmother of the movement' to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.” ABC News, 19 June 2023, https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/meet-opal-lee-grandmother-movement-make-juneteenth-federal/story?id=78356537.

Source: ABC News June 27, 2023 17:26 UTC