Alabamians celebrate Juneteenth in the Capital City

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — With her signature, Gov. Kay Ivey officially made Juneteenth a state holiday. In Montgomery, and across the state, Alabamians are remembering when formerly enslaved people found out they were free after the Civil War.

The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers serenaded a crowd gathered at the Peace and Justice Center. The songs paid tribute to Juneteenth and the fight for freedom.

Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, said today represents an opportunity for justice.

“We’re celebrating the progress that has been made,” Stevenson said. “But we’re also committing to continuing this struggle to create the kind of equality, justice and liberty that I believe those who were emancipated would want to see this nation achieve.”

For years, Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham) fought to make Juneteenth a state holiday. She said she is grateful for Gov. Kay Ivey and others acknowledging the history of enslaved people.

“The recognition of those that didn’t make it, that couldn’t take the passage. That refused to be put on the selling and chopping block to be sold as slaves… yeah, so, it means a lot to me,” said Rep. Givan.

Rep. Rick Rehm (R-Dothan) agreed. He said slavery is a part of history that needs to be told.

“Think about how long that went over,” he said. “That’s longer than the Romans ruled the island of Britain. That’s longer than we’ve been a country. That was a long time for that suffering to go. So, I think it’s fitting and proper that we have a day to remember the end of the African Slave Trade.”

Stevenson said remembering and learning about racial injustice is an action item.

“Share your knowledge. Share what you’re learning with your friends,” said Stevenson. “Not everybody has the courage to make that first step. But, if you make that step, you’ll be able to bring others along with you. Bring them to our site. Bring them to the spaces where we’re doing this education. And let’s all grow together by learning together.”

Stevenson charged everyone to learn something new about the history of enslavement in America. He said when you learn something you don’t know, it empowers you to understand and think about things differently.