Juneteenth at McCaw Hall:
Kindred churches encourage us all to attend the One Seattle Juneteenth "The Songs of Black Folk: The Music of Resistance & Hope" at McCaw Hall Sunday at 6 pm (free tickets online).
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
It remembers that June 19th, 1865 is the date the people in the states of Louisiana and Texas finally heard the news of the Emancipation Proclamation, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed it.
On June 19th, 1865, the former slaves broke out in spontaneous celebration, and celebration is the dominant theme in Juneteenth, but there is also grief. We grieve that slavery ever existed in our nation, and we grieve that racism lingers today.
For these reasons, it is important for all of us, no matter our race, to join in both the celebration and the grief of Juneteenth. We want to both weep and rejoice with our black sisters and brothers.