By Tim Gray Archives - Golden Globes

Juneteenth: An Important Date in Troubled Times

June 17, 2025

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By Tim Gray

The term “Juneteenth” was first used in the 1890s, but only became more widely known in the late 20th century. And while the Golden Globes only recently weighed in, articles in the Globes Archives still have plenty to say in a year when U.S. acknowledgement of DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion) is under attack.

In June 2022, a Globes article about the importance of the day includes a note about “the woman often referred to as the ‘grandmother of Juneteenth,’ Opal Lee, who walked from her home in Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C. to rally attention to the cause.”

The story continues, “The national holiday, frequently denoted with black, red, and green (the colors of the Pan-African flag), is now seen as a day of reflection. Juneteenth is celebrated in everything from speeches and educational events to family gatherings centered around special cuisine and traditional songs.”

The story also singles out the timely docu “Civil: Ben Crump” about the civil rights attorney who rose to national recognition as the lawyer representing the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Daunte Wright, and many others killed or wounded either in interactions with law enforcement officials or as the result of other racially-motivated confrontations.”

The Golden Globes Archives also includes two stories about films and TV shows relevant to Juneteenth.

The TV titles include “Atlanta,” Ava DuVernay’s docu “13th” and HBO’s superhero series “Watchmen,” one of the few times Hollywood addressed the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.

As a companion piece, the story about films relevant to Juneteenth cites the works of Oscar Micheaux, Sidney Poitier and Blaxploitation, through TV’s Roots, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther. Most of these films and TV shows are still available, plus there are many others that have debuted since then, including the George C. Wolfe-directed Rustin, and Chinonye Chukwu’s Till, to name a few.

In 2021, the Golden Globes website ran a story about Paul Robeson, whose name was synonymous with groundbreaking moves. He left his legal career to pursue acting and made a name for himself in the influential musical Show Boat, followed by Eugene O’Neill’s play and its 1933 film adaptation The Emperor Jones. In Britain, he created a sensation when he starred with Caucasian actress Peggy Ashcroft in a production of Shakepeare’s Othello. During the Jim Crow era, he was among the first artists who refused to play live to a segregated audience. He was denounced as a communist, blacklisted from film studios, concerts, and quarantined in the United States.

As the story points out, “Robeson dedicated his life not only to his fellow Americans but to all the people of Africa and its diaspora, whose lives had been fundamentally shaped by slavery. His work to end Apartheid in South Africa was eventually rewarded in 1978 by the UN.”

Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021. The U.S. government has recently begun to minimize or eliminate DEI programs. So far, Juneteenth is safe, but stay vigilant!