June 17 (UPI) — Fox and Tubi shared a Juneteenth message from 9-1-1 star Angela Bassett on Friday. Juneteenth is Sunday with observances continuing on Monday.
“My ancestors contributed to this great nation,” Bassett said in the video. “Their freedoms were beginning to be open and presented in this country. Juneteenth, it’s a celebratory day.”
June 19, 1865 was the day slaves in Texas learned of the Emancipation Proclamation from 1862. Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.
“Everyone wants to be represented, to be seen, to be appreciated and acknowledged,” Bassett said. “So that’s that day. It’s a day not only for African-Americans but anyone who has felt unseen, anyone who fights for freedoms.”
Bassett stars as LAPD sergeant Athena Grant-Nash on 9-1-1. The show portrays police and rescue workers working together to save people in crisis every week.
In film, Bassett starred in hits Boyz n the Hood, What’s Love Got to Do With It, Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Recently she played T’Challa’s mother, Queen Ramonda, in Black Panther.