Today is Juneteenth — the commemoration of the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in Texas were freed. Black Americans have been marking the occasion since its first anniversary, but national celebrations started ramping up after it officially became a federal holiday in 2021. For example, this year is the first time Juneteenth has been added to the list of free entry days at the country’s national parks. Find a park near you, and read on to learn the little-known story of Timbuctoo, New Jersey.
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Health
One Company Is Making Its School Buses Safer With 3-Point Seat Belts
Blue Bird
It wasn’t until 1984 that the first U.S. state — New York — mandated the use of seat belts for vehicle occupants. The majority of the country would soon follow, and it’s hard to imagine not having such laws today, given how many lives the devices save each year. Yet, school buses seem to be behind the times: most still use lap belts, rather than the much safer three-point ones that cars have. One bus company is catching up, though. Blue Bird recently announced that it will make three-point seat belts the standard in all of its school buses, “an industry first,” President Britton Smith told CBS News. They will come at no extra cost to customers. Other new safety features include steering wheel-deployed air bags for drivers, high-intensity LED lighting systems, front and rear cameras, and lighted stop sign arms. “This is a historic event,” Mark Rosekind, a former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said at an event announcing the changes last week, per School Transportation News. “Blue Bird deserves huge credit. Every bus manufacturer should have three-point belts on them. This is what real safety leadership looks like. Lives will be saved in the future.”
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Do you know the story of Timbuctoo? No, we’re not talking about the city in West Africa — we’re talking about a tiny, historic hamlet in southern New Jersey. “Until about 15 years ago, this was just the Black section of town. People didn’t realize it was historic,” Guy Weston, a seventh-generation landowner in Timbuctoo, told CBS News. The story begins in 1826, decades before the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and Juneteenth (1865). That year, four men who had escaped enslavement in Maryland purchased land from a Quaker businessman in Jersey’s Burlington County. Over the next 20 years, about two dozen more land transactions took place, including homesteads, a school, and a church, creating a village of free people of color. Weston came upon this history when he started researching his ancestors. In 2019, he founded the Timbuctoo Historical Society and worked with archaeologist Chris Barton to secure ownership of the local cemetery, where Union soldiers were buried. Barton also helped unearth more than 14,000 artifacts from the land. “It’s the American story,” Barton said of Timbuctoo. “It’s about struggle, it’s about perseverance, but it’s also about hope.”
Humanity
New York Uses Robotic Pets to Ease Loneliness in Older Residents
Joy for All
Animals’ ability to ease human loneliness is well-documented, and it turns out that robotic versions of common pets can have similar effects for older adults who may not be able to care for a living cat or dog. “There’s somebody here listening to me. He’s warm and he’s comfort,” Helen Macura, who received a free robotic pup from the New York State Office For Aging, told ABC News. She named him Friendly. Earlier this month, the office announced an expansion of the program, delivering 4,725 animatronic pets and games to older residents. That’s in addition to the 31,500 robot pets it has distributed since 2018. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychologist who has been studying loneliness for over two decades, said it’s important to combat feelings of isolation in the aging population, as it can be deadly. In her research, included in a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General, Holt-Lunstad found that the mortality impact of social disconnection is comparable to that of smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Macura, 101, recommends that “every home” have a pet like Friendly — “Especially the older senior citizens that are living alone. They should have companionship, good companionship.”
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Libby App If you’re an avid e-book reader (or audiobook listener) and you haven’t yet hopped on the Libby train, we’re about to make your day. The app allows you to borrow e-books, audiobooks, magazines, and more for free from your local library — all without having to leave your favorite reading chair.
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Inspiring Story
“Kidney buddies”
From the time of his son Jaren’s birth, Stephen Munari knew the child would need a kidney transplant one day, and he knew deep down that he would be the donor. Sure enough, when the time came for Jaren’s transplant, Munari was a perfect match.
Celine Dion made a rare public appearance this week at the premiere of her upcoming documentary, I Am: Celine Dion. The singer, 56, was open about her battles with a condition called stiff person syndrome, and repeated a metaphor that she shares in the film, with one heartwarming addition. In the metaphor, Dion is an apple tree, supplying the best, shiniest apples to her fans, but her branches are failing and there aren’t enough apples to go around anymore. A recent message from a fan, however, helped her reframe things: “It said, ‘We’re not here for the apples, we’re here for the tree.’”
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Quote of the Day
“Even though the story has never been tidy, and Black folks have had to march and fight for every inch of our freedom, our story is nonetheless one of progress.”
