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Magic Johnson: Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in America, and today, it celebrates freedom, achievement, education, and self-advancement in the Black community. Properly honoring Juneteenth as a national holiday celebrates a success for all of America!
On Sunday before the Spurs' game against the Philadelphia 76ers, he took aim at Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who voted with Republicans to block the advancement of a sweeping voting rights bill that was supported by Democrats and U.S. President Joe Biden. The vote Wednesday night to end debate on the bill was shot down, 51-49, with every Republican voting against moving the bill. Popovich's comments came after being asked about Juneteenth becoming a national holiday. "As many have said, it’s been time, it’s past time for hardball,” Popovich said. "The Republican Senate will just not participate, they just will not. So, whatever can be done needs to be done. And Sinema and Manchin, they get it, but they don’t get it. They know what’s going on. They understand. But there are more important things to them, and it’s damn selfish and dangerous to our country."
Chris Paul celebrated Juneteenth in a very special way this year. The NBA All-Star bought out all three locations of Atlanta’s popular plant-based burger chain, Slutty Vegan, to help feed the local community. On Saturday, June 19, patrons of Slutty Vegan enjoyed the chain’s iconic One Night Stand burger and a side of fries, free of charge.
Slutty Vegan and NBA All-Star Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns are teaming up to serve free food to the Atlanta community in celebration of Juneteenth. This Saturday, June 19th, each visitor to any of Slutty Vegan's three locations in Atlanta (Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., Jonesboro, or Edgewood Ave.) can enjoy the vegan burger joint's famous One Night Stand and a side of fries for FREE, all day long while supplies last. The plant-based burger is served loaded with vegan bacon, vegan cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, and Slutty Vegan's Slut Sauce on a vegan Hawaiian bun. In addition, Slutty Vegan will be paying its employees time and a half on Juneteenth.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is executive producing Fight the Power: The Movements That Changed America, a new one-hour documentary “which will chronicle the key movements that have made a major impact throughout U.S. history, including the labor movement of the 1880s, women’s suffrage and civil rights, as well as LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter movements.” The UCLA alum will also serve as narrator for the project, which is set to debut on the History Channel during Juneteenth.
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Sarah Todd: Donovan Mitchell said that he was overcome with disappointment when negative comments popped up on the Utah Jazz BLM post and his Juneteenth post. Said that seeing the same people who cheer for the team say things that hurt was not okay which is why he wasn't quiet on it
Sarah Todd: Quin Snyder said that education in the home about inequality and racial issues is where things can start and that he's been trying to get his kids involved with that dialogue. Snyder, his wife and kids all went to Juneteenth celebration so that they could see and experience it
This year, given the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and the nation’s current reckoning over race and injustice, the Liberty continued that work with a virtual conversation for the 155-year anniversary of Juneteenth. The conversation about freedom, justice, equality featured Liberty point guard Layshia Clarendon and Brooklyn Nets forward Garrett Temple on the panel. They discussed athletes’ responsibility regarding the movement for racial justice and returning to work during the pandemic, which looks very different for the NBA and the WNBA. “Kyrie [Irving] could play or not and people are going to listen to what he says,” Clarendon said. “But our strength [in the WNBA] is in numbers.”
Washington Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura was among the players on Friday that marched from Capital One Arena to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. to help raise awareness for police brutality and racism. Hachimura joined with Wizards teammates John Wall and Bradley Beal in the two-plus mile march to help spark social justice reform on Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln to free enslaved people in Confederate states. In addition to the three Wizards players, members of the Washington Mystics, including Natasha Cloud, were also on hand.
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"I think we can use the platform to our advantage and enhance it," Green said in an interview with Caron Butler on the NBA's Twitter account in honor of Juneteenth. "I mean, I see both sides. But I think we can easily, and I think [with] social media and all the platforms we have and people watching us they're going to be tuning in even more when we're down there.”
The Juneteenth rally outside Philadelphia's Municipal Building on Friday was packed. Many in attendance came to hear retired NBA stars Rasheed Wallace and Stephen Jackson. Jackson was a close friend of Floyd. "Listen to what I said to my brother just a month ago, barely a month ago there's been 120 shootings by police since," Jackson said.
Over the years, Buss said she’s ignored a lot of similar messages — but not anymore. “On this day, Juneteenth, I ask my white friends to join together, acknowledge the racism that exists in our country and around the world, and pledge to stop ignoring it,” Buss wrote. “We all must do better.”
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, assistant general manager Calvin Booth and other team staffers took part in a silent Juneteenth march through Denver on Friday. The holiday commemorates the day — June 19th 1865 — when the last enslaved African Americans in the U.S. learned of their freedom.
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