Sen. Tim Scott and Dr. Ben Carson host Juneteenth commemoration

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) -[ANCHOR] Juneteenth is a holiday marking the end of slavery in America.

To commemorate the day and its significance, Senator Tim Scott and Dr. Ben Carson teamed up at the Library of Congress.

It’s a holiday they say is joyous but complicated.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation, declaring that all persons held as slaves shall be free.

But in southern states, it wouldn’t be until two years later that freedom became law.

Juneteenth marks the day all slaves became free.

Nandi Walcott is with the Institute of Caribbean Studies, “It’s very important for us to keep our culture and history alive.”

She adds, it’s a day of reflection, and an opportunity to celebrate and recognize how far we’ve come, “Juneteenth is a great way to give us an opportunity to look back at the mistakes we made of us as a country.”

Senator Tim Scott views the day as a reminder of the work left to do.

“We, the collective, have work to be done to make sure that the next generation has more mountains to climb and fewer valleys to live in.”

Juneteenth was officially declared a federal holiday by President Joe Biden on June 17, 2021.

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