Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, more than 150 years after the Civil War ended and slaves were freed. But for many a June 19th after 1865, Black Americans continued to work for and demand their full rights, often at their peril.
Elmer Dixon saw injustices piling up in the 1960s and joined the Black Panther Party. In fact, he co-founded the chapter in Seattle, the first outside of California. Dixon tells the story of a childhood in a mixed-race neighborhood, and the rude awakenings he got outside of it, in his memoir Die Standing: From Black Panther Revolutionary to Global Diversity Consultant.
Our Juneteenth visit includes a clip from Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale from an earlier conversation on the JX. The exploration of a USA in the rear-view takes up the entire hour.