Juneteenth
The Senate Unanimously Votes To Make Juneteenth A Federal Holiday
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: filo / Getty In a surprise move on Capitol Hill, the United States Senate passed a bill on Tuesday (June 15) to establish Juneteenth, the day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, as a national holiday. Juneteenth began on June 19th, 1865 in Galveston, Texas when an order by Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army announced that all enslaved people in Galveston and the state were to be freed under the Emancipation Proclamation which was issued in 1863. From that point it became the official date for Black people across the nation to celebrate the end of slavery. It became a holiday in Texas in 1980 with other states following suit. “Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is a major step forward to recognize the wrongs of the past,” Se...
NY Governor Andrew Cuomo Makes Juneteenth A Paid Holiday
Source: NurPhoto / Getty It’s only taken a century and a half but finally Juneteenth will officially be observed as a state holiday in New York State. According to ABC New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo has decided to sign legislation making Juneteenth (June 19) a paid holiday for New Yorkers months after issuing an executive order recognizing the day as such. Keep in mind this came in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic ravaging New York and Andrew Cuomo doing more to keep the Big Apple afloat than the “President” of the United States. “I am incredibly proud to sign into law this legislation declaring Juneteenth an official holiday in New York State, a day which commemorates the end to slavery in the United States,” the governor said. “This new public holiday will serve as a day to recogni...
The Youngbloods’ Jesse Colin Young on Why He Re-Recorded “Get Together” with Steve Miller
Kyle Meredith With… Jesse Colin Young Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public Legendary founder of The Youngbloods Jesse Colin Young speaks with Kyle Meredith about re-recording the ’60s anthem “Get Together” to help feed hungry people through a partnership with SongAid and Why Hunger. Young tells us about tapping his friend Steve Miller to join him on the new version, the meaning of releasing the track on Juneteenth, and how the song speaks to now as much as it did during the original counterculture era. The songwriter also discusses last year’s comeback record, Dreamers, and how he’s continued to write about injustices throughout his 60-year career. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview s...
Beyoncé Shares New A Cappella Version of “Black Parade”: Stream
In honor of Juneteenth last Friday, Beyoncé released a new solo song called “Black Parade”. Now, just some days later, Queen Bey is back with a special a cappella version of the track. Per Consequence of Sound writer Nina Corcoran, the original iteration of “Black Parade” was a “celebratory blend of pop, trap, hip-hop, and electronica-verging on Detroit techno” and featured horn and flute arrangements. Although most of the flashiness and extra adornments have been stripped, the global R&B star’s message of Black pride and Black beauty still rings true here — and perhaps even truer when delivered through Bey’s singular, captivating voice. “I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle. Please continue to remember our beauty, strength and power,”...
Beyoncé Drops New Song “Black Parade” to Honor Juneteenth: Stream
Beyoncé went big to honor this year’s Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. On Friday, the pop icon not only launched “Black Parade Route”, an initiative that supports Black-owned small businesses, but she also dropped a brand new song called “Black Parade”. Of course, it’s as timely and moving as expected from Queen Bey. Musically, “Black Parade” is a celebratory blend of pop, trap, hip-hop, and electronica-verging on Detroit techno. Over cascading horns and a chipper flute melody, Beyoncé sings about the unique joys of being Black, touching on everything from womanhood to her heritage and the ways in which Blackness proudly permeates throughout it all. Stream “Black Parade” below. [embedded content] It’s been a while since Beyoncé dropped new music ...
Protesters topple down 120-year-old statue of Confederate general in Washington DC
A group of protesters toppled down a statue of Confederate General Albert Pike in Washington, D.C. on Friday night. The protesters gathered in Judiciary Square around the statue of Pike reportedly at around 11 p.m. (0400 GMT Saturday) and tore down the 120-year-old artwork 15 minutes later. The city’s only outdoor Confederate statue, after falling to the ground, was lit on fire before police officers arrived and extinguished the flames. The episode came on Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. President Donald Trump lashed out at the Washington, D.C. police for allowing the incident to happen. “The D.C. Police are not doing their job as they watch a statue be ripped down & burn. These people should be immediately arrested. A disgrace to our Country!” h...
TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe Rallies the “People” on New Protest Song: Stream
In honor of Juneteenth, aka Freedom Day, Tunde Adebimpe has released a new protest song. Simply dubbed “People”, this offering sees the TV on the Radio frontman instructing his listeners to confront and condemn white supremacy wherever it rears its ugly head. “If you see it’s a Nazi, say it’s a Nazi, and get that Nazi out,” declares Adebimpe on the track. “People” was self-produced by the indie rocker with assistance from friend and TV on the Radio drummer Roofeo. It’s available to stream and/or purchase below via Bandcamp, and all proceeds will benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center, Movement for Black Lives, and the ACLU. For the rest of Juneteenth, Bandcamp, too, will be donating its share of profits to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Earlier this month, Adebimpe performed TV on the Radi...
Beyoncé Launches “Black Parade” Initiative to Support Black-Owned Businesses
Beyoncé is marking Juneteenth by launching “Black Parade Route”, a new initiative supporting Black-owned small businesses. The newly launched section on Beyoncé’s website includes an expansive list of Black businesses filtered by categories such as “Art & Design”, “Beauty”, “Fashion”, “Lifestyle”, and “Restaurants & Bars”. “Being Black is your activism. Black excellence is a form of protest. Black joy is your right,” reads a tagline for “Black Parade”, which “benefits BeyGOOD’s Black Business Impact Fund, administered by the National Urban League, to support Black-owned small businesses in need.” In a corresponding Instagram post, Beyoncé writes, “Happy Juneteenth Weekend! I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle. Please continue to re...
President Donald Trump Fixes Lips To Say He Made Juneteenth Relevant
Source: SETH HERALD / Getty President Donald Trump has made an incredible fool of himself countless times in recent weeks, but this latest move was especially ludicrous even by his standards. Trump had the audacity to say that he made Juneteenth “very famous” which anyone with good sense knows isn’t true. In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, the former business mogul and one-time reality television star talked about a wide range of topics, including former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s tell-all book, the crumbling economy, and other topics. But what was especially maddening occurred is that Trump somehow found a way to make Juneteenth about himself. With an upcoming rally in Tulsa, Okla., the site of one of the most horrific acts of racism known as the Black Wall Stre...
#Juneteenth: The History Of Juneteenth & The Continued Quest For Freedom
Source: Jeenah Moon / Getty As the blazing fires burn down to warming embers and the cacophony of voices shouting loud for Black lives lower, the work that remains to be done still looms heavy. The fight against racial injustice has never felt more purposeful and with today being Juneteenth, it is immediately important to examine the history of the day while continuing the quest for freedom. Known as Freedom Day, Liberation Day, and also Emancipation Day, June 19 marks when Union Army forces from the north arrived in Galveston, Texas to finally deliver federal orders that slavery was officially ended. While President Abraham Lincoln reluctantly approved the Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect on January 1, 1863, slaves in Texas remained in the dark for two years in the Lone S...
Previously Unheard Version of Aretha Franklin’s “Never Gonna Break My Faith” Released for Juneteenth: Stream
If ever there was a time for new Aretha Franklin music, it would be today: Juneteenth, in the midst of an unprecedented national uprising against racism and police brutality. Miraculously, we’re being gifted just that. A never-before-heard solo version of the Franklin song “Never Gonna Break My Faith” has been released thanks to a collaboration between RCA Recordings, RCA Inspiration, and Legacy Recordings. The original version of the track was a duet with Mary J. Blige that was recorded for the 2006 film Bobby, but this alternate take leaves all the belting to the Queen of Soul, who is backed by The Boys Choir of Harlem. Beyond the excitement of this being a new recording from the legendary singer, its lyrical content is particularly relevant in the current socio-political climate. “You c...
Freedom Day: Hip-Hop Wired’s Juneteenth Playlist Courtesy Of The WK UP
Source: Cooper Neill / Getty Black people unite and let’s all get down. Those words were eloquently said on Ed O.G.’s 1991 classic single “I Got To Have It” but they especially have plenty of resonance at the moment. For Juneteenth, and frankly, for any occasion, we at Hip-Hop Wired have compiled a short collection of songs to accompany your celebrations. As an outlet, we place a strong emphasis on Hip-Hop music and culture, but it goes without saying that other forms of Black music are firmly on our radar. From Hip-Hop to Blues, to Jazz, to Funk and beyond, Black artistry has always found inspiration from times of deep struggle. And as we’re all aware of, the nation is currently under a cultural shift sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement and also the injustices Black women, men, and...
