welcome to hollywood! where an epic party is getting started. the stage at the historic greek theater will soon light up with an extraordinary list of musical talent all taking part in a global celebration for freedom. i am sara sidner. i am sitting next to my man van jones. he s here to celebrate juneteeth on cnn. we are so excited to be with you. this is america s newest federal holiday, commemorating the end, the true end of slavery in this country. folks heading to the greek theater, here in hollywood. and all of you at home are going to see an incredible concert with an amazing all-star lineup of black singers and songwriters. we re going to enjoy a show-stopping tribute to the queen of rock and roll, tina turner. we lost her this year. it was devastating for all of us. but you re going to see something you haven t seen before, y all. so stick around. actress chloe will give us her rendition of one of turner s greatest hits what s love got to do with it? she is going t
celebration for freedom. now, a national holiday, juneteenth is the direct result of centuries of resistance and revolution by black people leading a fight for their liberation. in 1861, tension between the north and the south reached its breaking point over slavery and statehood, and the civil war began. on january 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of the civil war, president abraham lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, declaring that all people held as slaves within the confederate controlled states were now free. the proclamation also granted black men access into a struggling union army. by the end of the war, more than 200,000 black soldiers, known as the united states colored troops, had enlisted, becoming instrumental to the union s victory. the civil war officially ended in april of 1865, but it wasn t until june 19th of that year, two years after the emancipation proclamation, that thousands of colored troops arrived in galveston texas, to rea