Usher Explains Why Juneteenth Is A Cause For Celebration, Calls For It To Be Made A National Holiday

Editors Note: Deadline’s Reopening Hollywood series focuses on the complicated effort to get the industry back on its feet while ensuring the safety of everyone involved.

Kerry Washington is speaking her mind about diversity in Hollywood, pointing out that while some great strides have been made there’s still plenty more that needs to be done.

Usher on Friday joined the growing chorus of voices calling for Juneteenth to be declared a national holiday. The Grammy-winning singer laid out his argument for theproposal in a Washington Post op-ed.

What shoes are fit for an 89-year-old woman trekking nearly 1,400 miles from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. to fight for Juneteenth, the day slavery ended in America, to be recognized as a national holiday?

Michelle Obama is speaking out.

Usher is using his platform to talk about the importance of Juneteenth, specifically, why it should be recognized as an official national holiday.June 19 commemorates the true ending of slavery in the United States. While Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect Jan.

Peter White Television EditorJuneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, was a focus for last night’s late-night talk shows.Many of the shows featured interviews and sketches based on today’s celebration with calls from hosts and guests calling for states to follow Virginia, New York and Texas and make it a national holiday.Jimmy Kimmel had Pharrell Williams on his ABC show.

Usher is joining fellow music artists such as Pharrell Williams and Taylor Swift in calling for June 19 — a.k.a. Juneteenth — to become a national holiday in the U.S., commemorating the day that all slaves in the U.S. were finally freed.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterVeteran R&B singer Usher has penned a powerful essay stating reasons why Juneteenth should be considered a national holiday. An excerpt is posted below; you can read it in full at the Washington Post.“The liberation Juneteenth commemorates is cause for celebration, but it also reminds us how equality can be delayed.

As protesters continue to rally against police brutality and racial inequality in the United States, Usher is joining their ranks and calling for change. The singer and activist, 41, penned a powerful op-ed for The Washington Post on July 19 — Juneteenth — laying out why the day commemorating the emancipation of slaves should become a national holiday.

Taylor Swift is calling for Juneteenth to be made a national holiday.

Taylor Swift has joined calls for Juneteenth, the date which marks the official end of slavery in the US, to be made a national holiday.