July 7, 2024 – “Juneteenth or July 4th: Steps Toward Freedom”
· Guest Speaker: Dr. Cindy Acker
Dr. Cindy Acker delivers a powerful and thought-provoking message examining the true meaning of freedom through the lens of Juneteenth and July 4th, revealing the historical complexities often omitted from our understanding of emancipation. Drawing on Frederick Douglass's words, the details of General Granger's order in Galveston, and her own family's experience with racial profiling, Dr. Acker challenges the assumption that freedom was achieved on any single date. She reminds us that no one is truly free until we are all free, and that the ongoing struggle for liberation requires knowledge, allyship, and courage from every one of us.