New Haven Independent

“We do not want to forget the sacrifice of our ancestors,” said West River Alderman Yusuf I. Shah, pictured.

Juneteenth commemorates the delayed end of slavery. News of the end of slavery reached the state of Texas last — on June 19, 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation officially freed the slaves two years earlier, on January 1, 1863.

Shah said it is impossible to celebrate Juneteenth without being reminded of the current immigration controversy in New Haven.

“African-Americans went through it too,” he said. “We need to fight for those things that are true and right for all people.”

Nathan Joyner, pictured, presented the libation statement, an African tradition recited whenever there is a special occasion. Joyner poured a bit of water, the “essence of life,” from his Kwanzaa cup. Each statement, for example, “For the creator who provides all things great and small,” was followed by the phrase “Ashay,” meaning “all is well.”

Emma Jones, pictured, of the MALIK organization, said that even though African-Americans have come a long way, they are still “the last to be hired and the first to be bought.”