Irish Examiner view: Time we accepted our role in slavery and tackle racism

Some 180 people with Irish addresses, including several Irish clergymen, were compensated for losses after slavery was abolished

Sat, 19 Jun, 2021 - 07:57

Today is Juneteenth, which marks the day, in 1865, that the last African-Americans learned they were free. While the day is commemorated in many US states, this year it has been designated a federal holiday after US president Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.

Mr Biden said it was a day to remember the “moral stain and the terrible toll that slavery took on the country, and continues to take — what I’ve long called America’s original sin”. He urged Americans to learn from their history, but the issue extends far beyond the US.