HISTORY + RACISM

How The Vagrancy Act of 1866 Turned Black Freedom Into a Crime

After Juneteenth, laws forced Black Americans to labor

Woman holding flowers near her face | Photo by Polina Kovaleva via Pexels

As Juneteenth approaches, the nation is preparing to celebrate Black Americans' freedom. Specifically, the holiday will commemorate the moment when 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to demand the…