Your Friday at a glance:
- Weather: High 90; humidity increasing
- What to eat: One of these five dishes, rooted in Juneteenth tradition.
- What to do: Not feeling like cooking tonight? Then check out this M.L. King curbside food tour, featuring four local stops.
- What we’re excited about: Warner Bros.’ 24-hour virtual gathering of the biggest names in the DC Comics universe in lieu of this year’s Comic-Con.
Greetings, Chattanooga!
Today we celebrate Juneteenth, commemorating African-Americans’ emancipation from slavery.
On June 19, 1865, Union troops rode into Texas to announce that slaves had been freed. The announcement came two and a half years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had already declared the liberation of all persons held as slaves. However, hundreds of thousands of those enslaved had not been notified.
Since that day, June 19 is recognized as Freedom Day by many African-American communities. And now, the governor of Virginia is working with the legislature to make it an official state holiday. Read the story here.