Today our office is closed in observance of the Juneteenth Holiday, which over the last thirty years has gained "prominence as an African American celebration of freedom and heritage," writes journalist Afi-Odelia Scruggs. (Scruggs also dispels five myths about Juneteenth). Originally celebrated as the anniversary of when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued orders to free enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865 (almost two years after the Emancipation Proclamation), the holiday is receiving additional attention this year amid protests against police brutality and racial violence.

This morning we visited the #BlackLivesMatter mural on Fulton Street between Marcy and Tompkins Avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Artists and local residents will add to the mural names of those killed due to racial violence in the US. “We would hope that this would be a plaza where we can come and gather, and really have conversations about the future,” Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr. tells CBS New York. “And really just a focal point for the change that we seek.”

Many are calling for Juneteenth to be a federal holiday. “Recognizing Juneteenth as a national holiday would be a small gesture compared with the greater social needs of black people in America,” musician and entrepreneur Usher writes. “But it can remind us of our journey toward freedom, and the work America still has to do.” He adds: “As we celebrate today, let’s stay open to possibility. Let’s support black-owned businesses today and every day. Let’s uplift our resilient history. Let’s honor our people. Happy Juneteenth, America.”