Juneteenth is a day for all of us to recommit to the “struggle for true democracy and human solidarity for justice, peace and compassion.” Emphasis on ALL. That’s the message of the legendary Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Senior Minister Emeritus at the historic Riverside Church in New York City.

It is, Dr. Forbes says, a celebration for all of us to unite by the struggle for freedom and democracy. Call it a second Fourth of July for American freedom fighters.

Monday, June 19, at 6 p.m. Central Time, Dr. Forbes will lead what should be a powerful, inclusive and heartening celebration of Juneteenth at Riverside. The event will be livestreamed here.

I’ve read the remarks Dr. Forbes intends to give. They are a powerful call for justice. You won’t want to miss them.

Juneteenth commemorates the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston – June 19, 1865 – to deliver the news that the Civil War had ended and slaves were liberated. This was more than two years after Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. News traveled slowly then, and this news was slowed down even more by Southerners who resisted and resented Emancipation.

Dr. Forbes has recently been barnstorming America with Rev. Dr. William Barber as part of their national Moral Revival Tour. I’ve worked with Dr. Forbes since 2005 on a variety of initiatives, including a celebration at Riverside of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s searing anti-Vietnam War speech of April 4, 1967.

For those not familiar with Dr. Forbes, here’s a clip of a Dr. Forbes’ sermon on facing the darkness, on turning the light on in a dark time. Seems appropriate.