NAACP Celebrates Juneteenth

IN FLORIDA. JUNETEENTH IS RECOGNIZED AS A DAY OF OBSERVANCE, BUT IT IS NOT AN OFFICIAL STATE PAID HOLIDAY PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO MAKE IT. A STATE HOLIDAY HAS FAILED IN THE LEGISLATURE REGARDLESS GROUPS ARE CELEBRATING THE FEDERAL HOLIDAY ALL ACROSS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THAT INCLUDES COLLIER COUNTY WHERE SOME RESIDENTS ARE USING JUNETEENTH AS A WAY TO INSPIRE FUTURE GENERATIONS. WE ARE NOW JOINED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE COLLIER COUNTY NAACP, MR. VINCENT A. KEEYS JOINS US. THANK YOU FOR DRIVING UP FROM NAPLES TO. >> TELL US ALL ABOUT JUNETEENTH. >> THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME. IT IS A PLEASURE. >> CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT THE HISTORY BEHIND JUNETEENTH? >> IT'S IT'S A COMPLEX ONE. >> VERY DIFFICULT. THEY'RE KIND OF EXPLAIN. DO MY BEST TO. >> I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE ORIGINS OF THAT. >> JUNETEENTH. WAS. AND EMANCIPATION. THAT WAS IN A STRAIGHT LINE. IT WAS A JAGGED EDGE, SO TO SPEAK WITH FREEDOM. AND THEN SING ONLY AS QUICKLY HAS THE UNION ARMY. COULD ENFORCE IT. AND SO IT TOOK. LITERALLY 2 AND A HALF YEARS. AFTER ABRAHAM LINCOLN SIGNED THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION ON JANUARY. FIRST OF 18, 63. BEFORE. JUNE 19TH. 18 65 CAME ABOUT. AND SO IT LITERALLY TOOK THE TROOPS THAT LONG. FREE OUR PEOPLE. >> 2 AND A HALF YEARS, 2 AND A HALF YEARS. AND I FIND THAT ALWAYS AMAZING. >> LIVING HERE NOW IN THE SOUTH. >> WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? >> TO RECOGNIZE THIS ON A FEDERAL LEVEL AND THAT >> JUST CAME ABOUT IN 2021. >> IT IS SO VERY IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE IT ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS FREEDOM DILI. DELAYED FOR SUCH A LONG TIME. >> WHY IS IT SO IMPACTFUL ON MEMBERS OF THE BLACK >> WELL, IT'S IMPACTFUL FOR SEVERAL REASONS. OKAY. NUMBER ONE. MANY OF US I KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING FOR SUCH A LONG TIME WITH ISSUES OF OF RACE. AND SO TO STRUGGLE. CONTINUES. I'LL SAY THAT. TO THIS DAY. THE STRUGGLE OF UNDERSTANDING. PEOPLE AND HOW THEY ARE LOOKED AT AND THEIR VALUE. HAS HE YET? TO COME ABOUT? AND SO WE, OF COURSE, ALWAYS LOOK FOR EQUAL RIGHTS, BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT EVERY INDIVIDUAL AS A DIFFERENT SENSE OF VALUE. WHEN WHEN YOU'RE LOOKED AT AND SO MANY OF US. IS SHOULD I SAY EVEN TEXAS? FOR EXAMPLE? DRUG WITH THROUGHOUT. THE GEORGE FLOYD DAYS. AND THIS IS PRIOR TO IT BECOMING OR SIGNED INTO LAW. WHEN GEORGE FLOYD. AND THE WORLD WAS ABLE TO WITNESS. FOR BREATH. IT BECAME A PART OF OUR CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE. FREE PEOPLE. IT ALMOST WAS LIKE A SYMBOL ONCE AGAIN THAT WE STILL HAVE YET TO EMANCIPATE PEOPLE. ALLOW THEM TO BREATHE AND THEN ALLOW THEM TO LIVE AMONG OTHERS AND BE TREATED THE SAME WAY THAT OTHERS ARE TREATED. IN OUR GREAT COUNTRY. >> DO YOU FEEL THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION RECENTLY? OR DO YOU FEEL LEAF? TAKEN SOME STEPS BACKWARD? >> GUARANTEED. WE HAVE TAKEN SOME STEPS BACKWARDS. HOWEVER. WE SHALL OVERCOME. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING USED TO ALWAYS TEACH US THAT. AND WE BELIEVE OUT OF SOME DIFFICULTY MAY COME SOME GOOD. AND SO THIS IS A SETBACK. I GUESS YOU CAN SAY IN TERMS OF VOTING RIGHTS IN TERMS OF ACTUAL. GAINS THAT WE 8 AS A PEOPLE. BEING ABLE TO. C. US. REACHED THE WHITE HOUSE. WE HAVE INDY. TAKEN SOME SETBACKS, BUT OUT OF IT, I BELIEVE WE SHALL OVERCOME. >> WHAT IS YOUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS. >> IT IS OUR HOPE. NUMBER ONE. TRAIN AND TEACH THE NEXT GENERATION OF KIDS. PROPERLY SO THAT THEY BEGIN TO SEE THEMSELVES. SELF ESTEEM IN HIGH REGARD. WE WANT THEM TO VALUE THEMSELVES. AND THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE CONTINUED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO BRING FORTH THE KIND OF FUTURE THAT WE PREDICT. >> AND THAT BRINGS US TO SOME CELEBRATORY EVENTS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE IN COLLIER COUNTY, IN HONOR OF JUNETEENTH AND MAYBE YOU CAN TOUCH ON ONE SPECIFICALLY. >> SURE. ON JUNE 20TH, WE HAVE UP COMING IN CELEBRATION OF JUNETEENTH. READ TO LEAD PROGRAM. IT'S THE SUM OF 4. BUT GETTING KIDS TO READ IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND IT BEGINS WITH THE PAIR AND SO I READ THE LEAD PROGRAM, OF COURSE, IS TO BE ABLE TO GIVE KIDS THE NECESSARY TOOLS SO THAT THEY CAN READ. BUT IT'S ALSO TO GIVE THE PARENTS THE NECESSARY TOOLS BECAUSE IT BEGINS WITH THE TEACHER AT HOME. AND THAT IS THE PARENT. HOPING TO HAVE 25 PARENTS AND 25 STUDENTS COME TOGETHER AND WE'RE GOING TO SUPPLY THEM WITH A READING MATERIALS AND HOPES THAT THEY CAN START THEIR OWN. HOME LIBRARY. AND SO WE'LL BE GIVING AWAY BOOKS TO OUR KIDS. AND WE WILL HAVE A COMMUNITY PARTNERS LIKE SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION WHO WILL BE THERE AND THEY'RE HOSTING THE EVENT. BY THE WAY. AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY ON THE TOPIC OF READING. >> IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? >> I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT. JUNETEENTH IS NOT JUST FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE AND OR HISTORY. >> IT'S FOR EVERYONE BECAUSE WHEN I TALK ABOUT HISTORY, HISTORY SHOULD BE TOLD IN IT'S RIGHT VEIN THE TRUTH SHOULD BE TOLD AND PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW IT. IT IS OUR HISTORY. WE KNOW THAT AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY IS A PART OF OUR COUNTRY. AND IT IS OUR HISTORY TO CELEBRATE. SO WE'RE HOPING THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY JOIN US. WE WANT WE WANT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY TO HONOR JUNETEENTH. AND WE ASK THAT YOU INVEST IN OUR ONGOING STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM, REPRESENTATION AND JUSTICE. SO TOGETHER. WE CAN PROTECT THE POWER PREVIOUS GENERATIONS FOUGHT TO SECURE. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. IT IS OUR PLEASURE. THANK YOU.