Headlines June 19, 2023

Cianna Greaves writes: Like many Americans, I grew up believing that all enslaved persons were made free when the Emancipation Proclamation took effect in 1863. The story of how freedom came to the quarter-million enslaved Black people of Galveston Bay, Texas, two years later in 1865 was one I didn’t learn of until my late 20s.

Juneteenth was officially declared a federal holiday in 2021. And even though Black Americans have been celebrating the 19th of June for more than 150 years, for many of us it is still a new tradition.

Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg died Friday at the age of 92, just months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Ellsberg risked life in prison by copying and then leaking 7,000 pages of top-secret documents outlining the obscured history of the United States’ war in Vietnam. The leak helped take down President Nixon, end the war in Vietnam, and led to a major victory for press freedom. Ellsberg would go on to become deeply involved in the antiwar and anti-nuclear movements. He also inspired a new generation of whistleblowers. We will spend the hour hearing Dan Ellsberg in his own words after headlines.

The Justice Department has accused the Minneapolis Police Department of disproportionately targeting Black and Native American people and frequently using excessive and unlawful use of force. The findings come in an investigation launched after the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020. Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke on Friday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland: “The patterns and practices we observed made what happened to George Floyd possible. As one city leader told us, quote, 'These systemic issues didn't just occur on May 25th, 2020. There were instances like that, that were being reported by the community long before that.’”