Pharrell Williams is continuing to lead by example and use his platform to advocate for change and recognition for those who have been marginalized and silenced. Williams' latest efforts have been focused on pushing for a national holiday that celebrates Juneteenth and recognizes the historic day for Black Americans.Williams has been working with Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to make Juneteenth into a federal holiday and properly recognizing the day that slaves were proclaimed free in 1865. Williams returned to his home state on June 16 to join Northam for a press conference to announce the new holiday and push for a more inclusive statewide and country-wide day as well. Historian Dr. Lauranett Lee, Senator Locke and Virginia Delegate Charniele Herring all spoke in support of the holiday along with Northam and Williams.
"This is our chance to lead, to truly embrace the importance of Juneteenth and to treat it as a celebration of freedom that Black people truly deserve,” said Williams, who also called on corporations to push for a recognition of the holiday. "This is about proper recognition. This is the chance for our government, our corporations and our citizens to all stand in solidarity with their African-American brothers and sisters." The Grammy-winner also praised Northam for his support on recognizing Juneteenth, saying "This is what listening looks like."[video_embed id='1977257']RELATED: White House changes Tulsa rally from 'Juneteenth'[/video_embed]Amid the ongoing protests in support of the Black Lives Matter, major companies including Nike, Twitter, Square, the NFL, Postmates, Mastercard, Adobe, Lyft, Glossier, VSCO, Buzzfeed, Vox Media and the Meredith Corporation announced they will recognize June 19 as a company holiday for employees.“From this moment on, when you look at the vastness of the night sky, and you see those stars moving up there, know that those stars are our African ancestors dancing,” said Pharrell. “They’re dancing in celebration because their lives are finally being acknowledged.”In addition to the pushing for the state-wide holiday, which will be voted on in August in Virginia, Northam has also announced his intention to remove a statue celebrating Confederate soldier Robert E. Lee.More than two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, General Lee surrendered in April 1865 and Major General Gordon Granger, along with a group of Union soldiers, arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19. Announcing the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery, Granger and his troops were finally able to put into action Lincoln’s Executive Order, making June 19
th the
oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the U.S.Williams, who has been working on a
Juneteenth musical with
Black-ish creator Kenya Barris since 2018, is not the only high profile celebrity marking June 19 this year. Earlier this week,
John Legend and Alicia Keys announced a piano duel in celebration of Juneteenth that will take place on Friday on the Verzuz Instagram Live channel.[video_embed id='1977626']RELATED: Beyoncé pens powerful letter demanding justice for Breonna Taylor[/video_embed]
