Juneteenth: the Negro Spiritual

https://www.mnhs.org/blackhistory-blackvoices In June 2021, Juneteenth became a national holiday in the United States. It began in 1865 as a celebration of the end of slavery in Texas, but it's come to represent the end of slavery in the United States. Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is one step in reconciling America's history with enslaved people. The Negro spiritual played an important part in Juneteeth and the survival of the African American community. In this video, Heritage Ensemble Artistic Director Sharon Samuels Reed relays the importance of the Negro spiritual, its history, and its connection to Juneteenth.

Fix Me, Jesus performed by the Heritage Ensemble. Animation by Iyare Oronsaye.