Juneteenth goes mainstream. Why it should hold meaning for white folks too.

Now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday it has gone mainstream.

The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on June 19,1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, enslaved Africans in Texas were finally freed under the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.

But for those who think the holiday is just a time for African Americans to celebrate, think again. Juneteenth has meaning for white folks too.

Tim Wise is an anti-racist educator and author of the book "White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son."

He explains in an interview with GPB News' Morning Edition host Leah Fleming that “although the importance of celebrating Juneteenth might be evident to Black folks, it should be every bit as important to those of us who are white because the liberation of Black people is the only hope for our own.”