skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

'Our Independence Day': Juneteenth Has New Meaning in ND

play audio
Play

Friday, June 18, 2021   

FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakotans will gather in Fargo and Grand Forks tomorrow to celebrate Juneteenth, which recognizes the end of slavery.

With the day now observed as a state and federal holiday, local activists say it should be embraced like other holidays, even as the fight for racial justice continues. The 4th of July, Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick's Day are times when Americans either pause and reflect or honor cultures in grand fashion.

Faith Dixon, BLM organizer and founder of Faith4Hope, is putting together Fargo's weekend event. She feels Juneteenth, which commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers informed enslaved Black people in Texas they were free, should be treated the same way.

"It is a day for us to come out together as a community and as a people and have a good time and look back on where we came from," Dixon explained. "We still have a long way to go, but we can enjoy the victories."

Earlier this year, North Dakota adopted a bill to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday, after being one of the last few states not to do so.

North Dakota's day was not to have been a day off for state workers, but this week, President Joe Biden signed a bill to make Juneteenth the 12th federal holiday in the U.S., potentially encouraging more employers to provide it as a day off for staff.

Some racial-justice advocates have expressed mixed feelings about the latest developments surrounding Juneteenth, noting longstanding equality issues that still exist. They also point to efforts in conservative states to block a more robust teaching of racism in America in schools.

But Dixon argued the holiday can be a launching point to reach younger generations.

"This is our Independence Day, and we want children to learn that," Dixon remarked.

She added beyond Martin Luther King Junior Day and Black History Month, school curriculum lacks details and nuance about the treatment of Black people in U.S. history, as well as their accomplishments.

Dixon emphasized Juneteenth celebrations can help connect people with the facts, while expressing joy about the significance of the events from 1865.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021