Intro to Our Juneteenth Edition of Black Writers Week 2025 | Black Writers Week

Today, we celebrate Juneteenth, a national holiday commemorating the end of slavery for African Americans. Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with it to take effect in January of 1863, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865—two-and-a-half years later—that the news reached the Black people of Galveston, Texas. It took a Civil War and a brigade of soldiers to deliver the news. 

Ms. Opal Lee, a retired teacher, is the Grandmother of Juneteenth. She was at the forefront of a movement to make Juneteenth a national holiday. For years, she convened marches of two-and-a-half miles in states all across America to signify the two-and-a-half years it took for the news to reach Texas. And finally, in June 2021, when she was 94 years old, she had the pleasure of seeing her dream come true.  She was standing at the side of former President Joe Biden in the White House when he signed the bill into law, making Juneteenth a federal holiday.   

Today, despite the executive orders outlawing DEI—diversity, equity, and inclusion—by the current administration, we will not go backwards. So once again, as we have done since 2021, we will turn our site over to Black writers and Black Film Critics to share their reviews, articles, and observations about movies and life itself.

On this day, we are providing film reviews written by Robert Daniels, Carla Renata, Peyton Robinson, Cortlyn Kelly, Jourdain Searles, Travis Hopson, Craig D. Lindsey, Sherin Nicole, Jourdain Searles, and Brandon Wilson. We have television reviews penned by Rendy Jones, Sherin Nicole, and Kaiya Shunyata. 

We are fortunate to share an article by Pulitzer Prize finalist Soraya Nadia McDonald. Odie Henderson returns to the site with a piece celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Cooley High” and another toasting the creative and romantic partnership shared by Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. Danielle Scruggs compares and contrasts the reception of “Anora” and “Zola.” Sonia Evans interviews MyNew Technologies head Myrin New about his new tech masterclass. Brenda Butler outlines the history of Juneteenth for us in more detail. Mack Bates writes about Morgan Freeman, and there is plenty more to explore. 

So join us in this important celebration. Happy Juneteenth!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FILM/MINI-SERIES REVIEWS

28 Years Later by Robert Daniels

Bride Hard by Carla Renata

Elio by Robert Daniels

Everything’s Going to Be Great by Cortlyn Kelly

Familiar Touch by Jourdain Searles

Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project by Travis Hopson

Hell Motel by Rendy Jones

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore by Peyton Robinson

The Queen of My Dreams by Craig D. Lindsay

SALLY by Sherin Nicole

Will by Brandon David Wilson

FEATURES

50 Years Later, Cooley High Is Still Alive by Odie Henderson

Blood and Soap Bubbles on the Surface of Netflix’s “The Waterfront” by Sherin Nicole

The Glorious Year of Morgan Freeman by Mack Bates

The Light She Left Behind: Ananda Lewis (1973-2025) by Sonia Evans

Myrin New’s Masterclass in Modern Black Tech Entrepreneurship by Sonia Evans

On the Renewed and Continuing Necessity of “Exterminate All the Brutes” by Soraya Nadia McDonald

Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee by Odie Henderson

The Rite to Save a Life by Sherin Nicole

Then They Will Learn: The Truth Behind Juneteenth by Brenda Butler

Transformative Third Season of HBO’s “The Gilded Age” Dazzles and Delights by Kaiya Shunyata

“Zola,” “Anora,” and the DEI Mirage by Danielle Scruggs

You can view the original article HERE.