Juneteenth and the Islamic Message

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when US Union Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery in Galveston, Texas, in accordance with then US President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

Over 150 years has passed since this commeration and today, this date has taken center stage as the US Congress passed a bill this week to commemorate the end of slavery and recognize June 19 as "Juneteenth National Independence Day".

 

Let's examine what's changed since 1865 and what’s the role of Muslims and Islam towards humanity today.