We join in honoring Juneteenth

Somos en escrito Magazine, in the name of Associate Editors Scott Duncan-Fernandez, Jenny Irizary and me, Armando Rendón, join in celebrating the designation of June 19, Juneteenth, as a national holiday to mark the end of slavery in the United States.

Even though the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, it was not until June 19, 1865, that 2,000 Union soldiers arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to proclaim the news that slavery had been abolished. The newly freed people in Texas named the day, “Juneteenth.”

We know that much has still to be done to address issues that divide the U.S. In many ways, Juneteenth shines a light on the darknesses that persist in our society.

All peoples in this country have common cause who take seriously the democratic principles proclaimed in the U.S. Constitution, who work to ensure for each other certain inalienable rights as guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, and who strive together with communities of all origins to fulfill the pledge of assuring “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for all as a mutual goal.

These common bonds and values have now, finally, led to making June 19th, Juneteenth, a federal holiday.

¡Que viva Juneteenth!

THE SOMOS EN ESCRITO STAFF

Somos en escrito Literary Foundation Press is proud to announce the release of its latest book, Our Grandfathers Were Braceros and We Too, by Abel Astorga Morales and Rosa Martha Zárate Macías, translated by Madeline Newman Rios. 

​Our Grandfathers Were Braceros and We Too is a historical and living testimonial to the laborers who left their homes in Mexico during WWII to do their part in the war effort and with the hope of a better life for their families.

Besides the facts of their struggle that still continues, the book is filled with testimonials from the dwindling number of survivors of that time. Thousands of braceros, literally men working with their arms, formed an organization named, Alianza de Ex Braceros del Norte 1942-1964 (Alliance of Ex Braceros in the North 1942-1964), to persist in seeking the compensation they were denied by both the U.S. and Mexico as well as the recognition by both countries of the sacrifices they made.

Listen to the song above "Abuelo cuéntame" by author Rosa Martha Zárate Macías.
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See more on the book's Somos en escrito Literary Foundation Press page and purchase online here.
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To hear Rosa Martha Zarate see the panel hosted by Latino and Latina Roundtable, videoed August 12,2021.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1567523900256447&ref=search