US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas fondly remembered as she lies in state at Houston City Hall

HOUSTON (AP) — Residents who stood in line on Monday to pay their respects to longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas as her body lay in state in Houston’s City Hall remembered her as an advocate for human rights and her community. “I don’t know of another politician...

Editorial Roundup: Florida

Palm Beach Post. June 19, 2024. Editorial: The Juneteenth federal holiday should be celebrated in Florida, not shunned Enjoy Juneteenth, the latest celebration to join New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day and Christmas Day as a date-specific federal...

15 shot after a 'sideshow' took over a peaceful Juneteenth celebration in Oakland, police say

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Fifteen people were shot after an illegal "sideshow” took over a peaceful Juneteenth celebration in Oakland, California, police said Thursday. Investigators are seeking multiple shooters — more than 50 shell casings were recovered at the scene —...

Police say 15 people were shot during Juneteenth celebration in Oakland, California

Editorial Roundup: South Carolina

Post and Courier. June 18, 2024. Editorial: We can’t debate value of SC pork projects, because they’re still too obscured If you want to find out how the S.C. House plans to spend $275 million on local projects undertaken by public and private organizations,...

On Juneteenth, monument dedicated in Alabama to those who endured slavery

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Thousands of surnames grace the towering monument, representing the more than 4 million enslaved people who were freed after the Civil War. The Equal Justice Initiative, a criminal justice reform nonprofit, invoked the Juneteenth holiday — the day that...

On Juneteenth, a journalist honors ancestor at ceremony for Black soldiers who served in Civil War

WASHINGTON (AP) — It was the middle of the night in the summer of 2021 when I finally found the missing piece of my family history. My great-great-great-great grandfather Hewlett Sands, born into slavery in Oyster Bay, New York in 1820, was one of the more than 200,000 names listed...

Today in History: June 19, Senate approves Civil Rights Act of 1964

Today in History Today is Wednesday, June 19, the 171st day of 2024. There are 195 days left in the year. This is Juneteenth. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 19, 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved by the U.S. Senate, 73-27, after...

The beginner's guide to celebrating Juneteenth

For more than one-and-a-half centuries, the Juneteenth holiday has been sacred to many Black communities. It marks the day in 1865 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas found out they had been freed — after the end of the Civil War, and two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s...

Editorial Roundup: Indiana

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. June 14, 2024. Editorial: Kids Count data gives Indiana an opportunity to do better If the health of children and youth is an indication of how a community cares for its young people, then Indiana is struggling to meet that measure. ...