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it's friday june 17th 2020 2022. I'm Jackson Bird today. Ahead of Juneteenth, a reminder of what

emancipation did and didn't do. Plus, a newly discovered group of polar bears who are

able to survive on less sea ice than should be possible, and a promising milestone

achieved in the field of space-based solar power. Here is some cool stuff for your ride home.

This Sunday is Juneteenth here in the U.S., a day celebrated by Black Americans for generations,

but this year marks only the second year that it has been recognized as a federal holiday,

one which marks the emancipation of enslaved African Americans,

and more generally celebrates Black excellence and culture.

And if Juneteenth is a newer holiday to you,

I'll put links in the show notes to the segments I did on the origins and evolution of Juneteenth

in previous years. And I especially recommend Annette Gordon-Reed's Pulitzer Prize-winning

book published last year called On Juneteenth. It's immensely readable and is written from

the perspective of a native Texan, which I got a lot out of as a fellow Texan, but is also appropriate

since Juneteenth has its roots in Texas. The original Juneteenth was June 19, 1865, and it was the day that enslaved black people in Texas

were finally informed that the Emancipation Proclamation had in fact been signed two and a half years

ago, and they were almost legally, finally, free. Of course, as many have elaborated on over the

years, the reality was a bit more complicated.

...