Celebrating Juneteenth

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed legislation into law establishing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day—a US federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

USC will host an online event on June 19 to commemorate Juneteenth and celebrate Black heritage through student tributes, artistic performances and various speakers.

As well as being a day to commemorate and celebrate African American history and heritage, Juneteenth is also a day when we draw inspiration from the voices of so many heroes who have fought and still fight for racial justice. In the following clip, Paul Parks talks about witnessing the aftermath of the Holocaust and what it meant to his work in the civil rights movement, including his work with Martin Luther King, Jr.