Can You Hear Us Now: Juneteenth

<p>President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery on January 1, 1963. But it wasn’t until more than two years later – on June 19, 1965 – that enslaved people in the state of Texas were finally told that they were free. The anniversary of that day has become known as Juneteenth.</p><p>This Juneteenth, 2020, America is in the midst of a racial reckoning. A pandemic is disproportionately killing Black Americans, and violence against Black people continues to be caught on camera, sparking cries for change.</p><p>Into America host Trymaine Lee convened a special panel for NBC News Now called Can You Hear Us Now: Juneteenth. He and his panelists wrestled with America’s core question of freedom, and whether this dream can and will ever be a reality for Black Americans.</p><p>Guests included: Dr. Peniel Joseph, from the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at UT-Austin; playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith; Tiffany Crutcher, whose twin brother Terence Crutcher killed by police in 2016; Wes Moore, of the Robin Hood Foundation; and NBC BLK reporter Janell Ross.</p><p>For a transcript, please visit <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica" target="_blank">https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica</a>.</p><p><strong>Further Reading:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/podcast/into-america/american-uprising-can-you-hear-us-now-n1222811" target="_blank">Into an American Uprising: Can You Hear Us Now?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/how-juneteenth-s-history-being-reshaped-america-reckons-its-past-n1231510" target="_blank">How Juneteenth's history is being reshaped as America reckons with its past</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/juneteenth-tulsa-massacre-what-isn-t-taught-classrooms-has-profound-n1231442?icid=related" target="_blank">From Juneteenth to the Tulsa massacre: What isn't taught in classrooms has a profound impact</a></li><li><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/amazon-jpmorgan-here-s-list-companies-honor