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Good morning, Chicago. Today, WTTW News celebrates Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the end of slavery in the United States.
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FILE - Chelsea Andrews, of Washington, waves the Juneteenth flag during a Juneteenth celebration at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, Monday, June 19, 2023. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik, file) |
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160 years ago, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed, following the Civil War’s end and two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The resulting Juneteenth holiday — its name combining “June” and “nineteenth” — has only grown in one-and-a-half centuries. In 2021, President Joe Biden designated it a federal holiday — expanding its recognition beyond Black America. Over the decades, Juneteenth has also been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Black Fourth of July and second Independence Day among others.
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Tricia Hersey appears on "Chicago Tonight." (WTTW News) |
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Tricia Hersey is known as the Nap Bishop. The Chicago native founded the Nap Ministry in 2016 under the framework “rest is resistance,” a tool used to resist and dismantle systems of oppression. Her teachings emphasize that rest is not just about refueling for the next day’s work or to continually participate in harmful structures like grind culture, but as a means to step away from the hamster wheel and take back what is a divine right: rest. “What I’m asking people is that they begin to see themselves as not just on earth to work,” Hersey said. “Their labor is not attached to the worth of who they are.” |
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(WTTW / PBS) |
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Hosted by the Rev. Rasool Berry (The Bridge Church in Brooklyn, New York) and directed by Ya'Ke Smith, this award-winning documentary is available to stream on the WTTW site. It tracks a man who is troubled by the legacy of American slavery and the misuse of Christianity to justify it, and travels throughout Texas to uncover the history, resilience and hope behind Juneteenth. |
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A bronze bust of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable by Erik Blome (WTTW) |
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Celebrate the heroic and unsung everyday men and women who have helped to mold Chicago's rich history through triumph and challenge. Explore historical moments from the first permanent settlement at Chicago in 1779 to the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States in 2008. Watch web exclusive interviews with luminaries of the African American community, test your own knowledge of historic happenings and travel back in time through illuminating archival images as you honor the rich legacy of Chicago’s Black Metropolis. |
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(WTTW News) |
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The Chicago Urban League is sounding the alarm on the widening racial wealth gap in its new report, “The State of Black Chicago.” It draws from research from the New School’s Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, which found that in 2024 the median net worth for Black Chicago-area households was zero dollars — compared to $210,000 for White households. The Urban League is now calling for a plan of action to help Black communities build wealth. The report recommends additional grants and funding opportunities for small businesses, workforce development and training programs, homeownership assistance, and expanded health access, among other things. |
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What’s your favorite neighborhood to visit on Chicago’s South Side? Tell us why. |
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
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5:30 PM | 10:00 PM |
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Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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