On September 11, 2001, Keithroy Marcellus Maynard was one of the firefighters who ran toward the World Trade Center. But before he became one of the names remembered from that day, he was a son, a husband, a father and a young Black man building a life around service. Born in Montserrat, Maynard moved to New York as a teenager. His father, Captain Reynold White, was an FDNY firefighter and member of the Vulcan Society, an organization dedicated to advancing Black firefighters

Every year on June 19, we celebrate Juneteenth, a day that marks freedom, history, resilience, and the continued progress of Black Americans. While many people know it as a holiday filled with cookouts, music, festivals, and family gatherings, Juneteenth carries a much deeper meaning that deserves to be remembered and honored. Juneteenth dates back to June 19, 1865, when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas were finally informed that they were free, more than two years a