Juneteenth- I`ve got a name 

By James Blears

Juneteenth celebrates an ongoing struggle for equality, freedom, decency, human rights and fundamental humanity, which continues to this very day. Juneteenth is a US Federal Holiday, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The name is derived from combining June and nineteenth.  It marks the anniversary of the order of Major General Gordon Granger on June 19^th, 1865, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas.

Thank God for the pioneers of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.  In the sport of Boxing, Jack Johnson: “The Galveston Giant,” stands out as a colossus, and the World Boxing Council also took a vitally important and progressive stance in the fight against racism, which has proved so crucially and historically important.

The World Boxing Council has always been unequivocal in its stance against racism.  The very first action of Jose Sulaiman after he became President of the WBC on December 5^th 1975, was to ban South Africa, in the struggle to overcome appalling apartheid. South Africa`s President Nelson Mandela who had been imprisoned for twenty seven years and was instrumental in consigning apartheid to the dust heap of dictatorships, invited the World Boxing Council to hold its thirty sixth Convention in Johannesburg in 1998.

“I wanted to be present on the WBC`s first visit to this country, so we could say on behalf of all South Africans, for your contribution to ending apartheid and for your engagement in the reconstruction of our society…thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” Said Nelson Mandela.

The WBC instituted as part of the world campaign of social responsibility the commemorative “Freedom Belt” which is a special trophy to commemorate such national holiday in the USA. The first Freedom Juneteenth belt was presented in Houston Texas during the Jermell Charlo vs Juan Macias Montiel on Houston, Texas.

It is with great honor that the WBC presents the Juneteenth belt for the main event of the MGM 100th Ko Nights between Gervonta Tank Davis vs Frank Martin on June 15 2024 at the MGM Grand Arena.

On Juneteenth Day, let us remember with deepest gratitude the monumental struggle and the sacrifice it`s taken to get this far, and fully understand it`s still not over. We yet have a way to go.