VP's Corner - Happy Juneteenth

As we turn our calendars to June, it’s time to start looking forward to summer. For many of us it’s the time for vacations and a welcome break from school for our kids. This month is also the time to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday which commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States. The official federal holiday title is “Juneteenth National Independence Day,” but it’s known by other names, such as Emancipation Day, Black Independence Day, and simply Juneteenth. It marks the day June 19, 1865 – two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and two months after General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox – when Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were free.

While Juneteenth has been observed and celebrated since 1865, it wasn’t designated a federal holiday until 2021, when President Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. This recognition as a national holiday is significant for many reasons. It acknowledges our national history of slavery and, as expressed in the President’s Proclamation on Juneteenth Day of Observance, 2021, it celebrates “the centuries of struggle, courage, and hope that have brought us to this time of progress and possibility.” But, as many have noted, the pursuit of equality, justice, and freedom from oppression Juneteenth celebrates is not the work of a single day. It requires constant effort by all people to ensure that the equality promised in our Constitution and in the legislative enactments since our founding will be fulfilled. The TCBA strives to make positive contributions to that effort. in community outreach programs focused on developing diversity within the practice of law and the Association. Ms. Reed’s article in this issue highlights some of the Committee’s recent and upcoming initiatives, including the upcoming open house at the Bar Center on August 30, for affinity bars in the Tulsa metro area.

TCBA also partnered with Street Law this year to teach “practical law” to young people who are vulnerable to racism and injustice. The program is designed to ensure that participants know their rights and build key life skills to help them advocate for themselves and their communities. It also exposes participants to potential careers in the legal field. Several TCBA members and staff dedicated their time and other resources to make this project possible, including Rachel Baker, Carol Beatty, Katie Dilks, Whitney Dockrey, Jeril Haug, Timothy Michaels-Johnson, Pansy Moore-Shrier, Deborah Reed, Pierre Robertson, Kara Vincent, and Tami Williams.

The contributions of these members and staff are great examples of the positive impact our Association can make in the pursuit of equality, justice, and freedom in the Tulsa community. And they are just a few examples of programs currently underway. Our ability to do more is limited only by the initiative of our members and their willingness to pitch in. If you want to get involved or have ideas for improving programs or adding new ones, please let us know. In the meantime, I hope you all have a great kickoff to summer and take the opportunity to observe and celebrate our newest national holiday.