Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 that the last known group of slaves, in Galveston, Texas, were finally freed, more than two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was ordered.Porsha Olayiwola thinks of Juneteenth, she sees the national holiday as a celebration, but also as a reminder of oppression. She joined WBUR'shost Sharon Brody to reflect on the day and how some of her poetry reflects the holiday's themes.
"I think that the observation in and of itself of Juneteenth is really an opportunity for the rest of the country to kind of acknowledge the ways in which Black folk have been continuously and consistently left out of a struggle for liberation. "And so I think about the Black experience in that context, right? This is the oldest and deeply rooted cities in our country and thus some of the struggle is also deeply rooted and almost integral into the infrastructure of the city. But with that also comes this possibility for liberation and revolution, to be that kind of beacon towards the rest of the country as well.