Miami, FL— South Florida PBS (WPBT & WXEL) announces it will be observing Juneteenth by closing its offices on Friday for a day of reflection and offering relevant, inspiring and engaging content to the South Florida community which will stream live on South Florida PBS’ www.wpbt.org website.
“Public television’s legacy of telling stories that deepen understanding and encourage conversation fill many voids in the media landscape; however, there is also more that we can – and must – do to address the systemic issues of oppression, inequality and racism facing the Black community. To this end, we will join PBS stations across the country and close our offices on Friday, June 19th, as a paid holiday to honor Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day,” stated president and CEO, Dolores Sukhdeo.
Live Stream on www.wpbt.org/juneteenth on Friday at 12 PM:
Juneteenth: Justice, Freedom, Democracy. Join six leading Black museums and historical institutions from coast to coast as they launch BLKFREEDOM.org, a digital commemoration of Juneteenth, the day that the Emancipation Proclamation was officially enforced, ending enslavement in Texas.
This timely event features cultural performances from Africa and across America, educational content and appearances by:
- Lonnie G. Bunch III, the first African American and first historian to serve as the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
- Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, anthropologist, educator, museum director and the first female African American president of Spelman College
- The Honorable Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, the first woman and the first African American to lead the national library
The launch of BLKFREEDOM.org will commemorate the 155th Anniversary of Juneteenth, which dates back to June 19, 1865, when union soldier, Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with the news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This announcement was more than two and half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
BLKFREEDOM.org is a combined effort between Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (Detroit, MI), Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park (Hilton Head Island, SC), Northwest African American Museum (Seattle, WA), Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater (Miami, FL), National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati, OH), and the National Civil Rights Museum (Memphis, TN).
Through educational content, artistic performances and shareable discussion prompts, this collaborative program will explore the meaning and relevance of “freedom”, “justice” and “democracy” in Black American life, from a historical and contemporary framework.
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About South Florida PBS:
SOUTH FLORIDA PBS is Florida’s largest public media company, including Public Broadcasting stations WXEL-TV, serving the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast and WPBT2, serving Miami-Dade and Broward counties, and the Health Channel, a 24/7 television and multi-platform health and wellness service. SOUTH FLORIDA PBS connects organizations and institutions across our region and preserves South Florida's history. Leading the way in this global society, SOUTH FLORIDA PBS serves diverse communities from Key West to the Sebastian Inlet and from the Atlantic Ocean west to Lake Okeechobee. SOUTH FLORIDA PBS is committed to creating and presenting unique arts, education and cultural heritage programming, and tells different local stories across a variety of digital media platforms. Some of our award-winning productions include James Patterson’s Kid Stew, Changing Seas, Art Loft and Your South Florida. For more information, visit https://www.southfloridapbs.org.
