Today, Cartoon Network is marking Juneteenth with a day-long celebration on air and across the network’s social media channels. CN artists have created custom illustrations, highlighting Black characters from its hit animated series, and an on-air spot featuring Craig (Craig of the Creek) will deliver a special message to television viewers.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 as the symbolic end of slavery, 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Today we celebrate and commit to the promise and continual pursuit of true freedom for ALL ??✨?#Juneteenth #JuneteenthCelebration #CelebrateFreedom pic.twitter.com/W7zQMtJX7G
— Cartoon Network (@cartoonnetwork) June 19, 2020
The conversation will continue on Saturday, June 20, with a Miss Juneteenth social engagement spotlighting Jessica (Craig of the Creek), Bumblebee (DC Super Hero Girls) and Kiki (Steven Universe). Plus, fans can check out a showcase of commissioned art themed on “Black beauty,” created by artists from all corners of the world — including Dapo Adeola, Nicholle Kobi and Vashti Harrison, to name a few — on the Cartoon Network Instagram feed and stories.
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. The date is taken from June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers landed at Galveston, TX and announced the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved people in the state, where President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation hadn’t been enforced. The day is one of appreciating African-American history, and marks a crucial step towards a better, more equitable world for future generations of Black children. (www.juneteenth.com)
