slavery

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of the last slaves in the United States. It was June 19th of 1865 in Texas when the last last slaves were freed under the Emancipation Proclamation that was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. The holiday was first observed in Ann Arbor in 1994 and has been observed ever since. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor discussed the local significance of the day with Ann Arbor NAACP president Andre' Watson.

In its earlier days, the City of Dexter was a place of adamant anti-slavery and a possible part of the Underground Railroad. WEMU’s Ana Longoria takes a closer look as part of Black History Month.

The Ypsilanti District Library’s Whittaker Branch is about to launch an exhibition capturing what enslaved people might have witnessed on their journey along the Underground Railroad. It will also offer programs highlighting Washtenaw County's connections to the Underground Railroad throughout September and October. YDL assistant director Julianne Smith joined Rylee Barnsdale for a conversation about those very things.

Dozens from the Lansing area’s faith-based communities gathered at the state Capitol Monday for a formal apology for slavery. Colin Jackson has more.

Communities across Washtenaw County will observe Juneteenth over the next few days. The county government is conducting a special flag Juneteenth flag raising at 10 a.m. today at the Learning Resource Center on Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor. WEMU’s Taylor Pinson provides some historical perspective.

We are days away from the national and local celebration of Juneteenth. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. 157 years later, racial issues and matter of inequity and inequality remain at the fore of our social discourse. WEMU's David Fair is joined by the founder of Survivors Speak, Trische' Duckworth, to talk about Juneteenth as a platform to advance the dialogue and look at Ypsilanti's annual Juneteenth celebration while also marking the one-year anniversary of the painting of Ypsilanti's Black Lives Matter Boulevard.

University of Michigan law professor and network TV legal analyst Barbara McQuade says the Constitution still holds up as a guidebook for how we are going…

America still struggles with reconciling its slave-owning past. An exhibit at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, entitled "Unsettling Histories:…

Friday, June 19th has been declared "Juneteenth Celebration Day" in Michigan by Governor Gretchen Whitmer commemorating the day in 1865 when slavery was…

Geneology helps people learn more about their families and their heritage. Yet, it can be more complicated for African American families, especially when…