LIMA, OH (WLIO) – The Ohio State University at Lima and its students observed Black History Month with an educational lecture by Ohio State English professor Dr. Jessica Johnson.
Dr. Johnson, also an author and columnist from Georgia, gave a presentation about the history and importance of Juneteenth. Her talk traced the history of Juneteenth, explaining how slavery was still being enforced in Texas despite the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln.
Dr. Johnson, also an author and columnist from Georgia, gave a presentation about the history and importance of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth celebrates the freedom and independence of enslaved people in America, marking the moment when slaves in Texas who endured roughly two and a half more years of slavery after the Civil War had ended were finally freed. Dr. Johnson explains why Juneteenth as a holiday is important for all Americans, no matter their skin color.
“It’s also an important holiday to just reflect on what liberty means, what freedom means. What these values and the rights and freedoms that we all enjoy in the country and to just, I think, to help us be more appreciative,” said Dr. Johnson.
President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021, making it a federally recognized paid holiday.
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