On the Season 4 premiere of black-ish, the Johnson family attends a school play about Columbus Day. Dre (Anthony Anderson) is not pleased with the inaccurate history lesson. black-ish creator Kenya Barris says Dre “starts spiraling” and sets out to create an ad campaign to bring back the celebration of Juneteenth. A musical involving the entire cast ensues.
June 19, 1865 is considered the last day of slavery. While Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier on September 22, 1862, which declared all slaves to be freed in the Confederate States, Juneteenth was the day the abolition of slavery was announced in the state of Texas. (Troops in Texas didn’t enforce the new Executive Order until General Lee surrendered in April 1865.) Black-ish airs Tuesdays at 9pm on ABC.
