Commemorating the end of African slavery in the United States, Juneteenth has become into a national weekend holiday of sorts.

On Thursday, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution apologizing for slavery in an attempt to take responsibility in the name of the federal government for the capture of and enslavement of Africans for centuries.

After the unanimous consent vote, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa said, "You wonder why we didn't do it 100 years ago." He added, "It is important to have a collective response to a collective injustice," reports the Washington Post.

But recent events have put a damper of the celebration as they remind us that discrimination is not a thing of the past.

Want to do something to fight discrimination?

• Hold a Unity Rally at your school.
• Paint a mural in your school celebrating diversity.
• Don't let people perpetuate stereotypes! Speak out if someone says something negative!