Author: Kamiyah Burks

By Kamiyah Burks The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is preparing for the in-person return of their annual Juneteenth Celebration. This free event will be held on Saturday, June 19 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the Birmingham Civil Rights District. Juneteenth is a celebration of the emancipation of enslaved people. The name “Juneteenth” is a portmanteau or combination of the words “June” and “Nineteenth”, which, in the year 1865, is the date on which General Gordan Granger of the Union Army announced freedom from slavery in Texas. Alabama recognized Juneteenth as a holiday in 2011 and is now one of the 47 states and Washington, D.C. that observe the holiday in the United States. “The commemoration will be a day-long festival…