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Morning Start: Today is Juneteenth

Your morning start for Friday, June 19, 2020
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(Natalia Cuevas-Huaico - Kelowna Capital News)

With another sunny day and highs around 28 C, things are starting to look like summer in the Okanagan and Shuswap.

Fun Fact of the day:

Today is Juneteenth, a holiday in celebration of the day in 1865 when all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from slavery. In 2020, the holiday has taken on a whole new level of importance, invigorated by the calls against police brutality and systemic racism heard around the world in the wake of George Floyd’s death on May 25.

The 1965 date is largely symbolic, as the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln had legally freed slaves in Texas about two and a half years earlier.

Celebrations typically typically include readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as “Lift Every Voice and Sing, and reading works by acclaimed African-American writers such as James Baldwin and Maya Angelou.

Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in 49 of the 50 states in the U.S. This is a relatively recent development, as Texas was the first to do so in 1980.

Weather forecast according to Environment Canada:

In Kelowna:

In Vernon:

In Penticton:

In Salmon Arm:

In case you missed it:

A volunteer fire department in Haida Gwaii fell prey to fraudsters last month, to the tune of nearly $100,000. The department is unsure if the funds can be recovered. According to the department, a deposit was successfully made to a bank account associated with Rocky Mountain Phoenix, the company supplying a used fire truck.

Video of the day:

And now, a moment of kindness courtesy of Twitter user Tom Hall.

READ MORE: ‘N’ driver with street racing stickers crashes into tree on Vancouver Island


Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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