Juneteenth is capturing the attention of many across the nation and Google is also taking part in this year’s celebration.
The holiday falls on Friday, June 19, and marks the end of slavery in the U.S. 155 years ago. The state of Texas plays a key role in the holiday as well.
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According to Google, Union soldiers came to Galveston with news that the war was over and that all enslaved people in Texas were finally free. Although the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 technically freed all slaves, the proclamation’s enforcement in Texas was “delayed and inconsistent,” Google reports.
Juneteenth officially marks the day when all slaves were freed.
For this year’s Juneteenth celebration, Google has created several online projects that will commemorate the occasion.
First, the online platform will launch a video Doodle celebrating the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, designed by artist Loveis Wise. The video is set to the first verse of the poem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson.
The video Doodle also features speaker LeVar Burton and music by producer Elijah Jamal, Google officials said. You can watch the full video below.
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Also, if you utilize Google Assistant and are unfamiliar with Juneteenth or are looking to learn more about the holiday, assistant-enabled devices will now be able to answer your questions.
You can ask the devices questions such as, “Hey Google, what’s Juneteenth?” or “Hey Google, Happy Juneteenth,” or even “Hey Google, tell me a random word,” and the device will respond with words such as microagression, prejudice and racialization, according to Google officials.
Here are the other ways Google is celebrating Juneteenth:
- Google Arts & Culture and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History are debuting a new exhibit on the historical legacy of Juneteenth, according to Google officials.
- YouTube Music is launching a new playlist called, “Juneteenth: Freedom Songs,” with songs about protest liberation and celebration from Black artists, which include Beyonce, Bob Marley and Prince. You can check out the playlist on the YouTube Music app or on youtube.com/music.
- Google Earth will be sharing its Voyager story, “Black History: A Journey of Us,” which features Black artists, activists and politicians “whose accomplishments have pushed us all forward,” according to Google. Google Earth will also be updating its images of Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C..
- Google will also implement a “no mandatory meetings day,” and will encourage all Googlers to use the time to learn and reflect on the meaning of Juneteenth.
KSAT 12 will also be taking part in the Juneteenth celebration. Tune in Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. for a livestream with Dr. Carey Latimore, a professor of African American Studies at Trinity University.
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