Morgan Freeman and Ben Vereen Reveal How They Keep the Spirit of Juneteenth Alive with Their Families (Exclusive)
Morgan Freeman and Ben Vereen Reveal How They Keep the Spirit of Juneteenth Alive with Their Families (Exclusive)
Kayla GrantFri, June 19, 2026 at 7:00 PM UTC
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Morgan Freeman; Ben VereenCredit: Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty; Robin L Marshall/Getty -
Morgan Freeman and Ben Vereen ensure their children and grandchildren know all about the true meaning of Juneteenth
During an exclusive chat with PEOPLE, the veteran actors open up about the day's significance and the important values they try to instill in their families
Both actors, who recently worked together on The Gray House, highlight the importance of sharing untold Black history stories
Morgan Freeman and Ben Vereen are making sure their children and grandchildren know all about Juneteenth.
The veteran actors chatted with PEOPLE ahead of the summer commemorative holiday, opening up about the day's significance and the important values they try to instill in their families. Vereen, who's a dad of six, tells PEOPLE that Juneteenth reminds him of the Jewish celebration Seder, where families recall their journey coming out of Egypt.
"Juneteenth to me represents that," the 79-year-old says, referring to the foundational ritual feast. "It's a time for us to come together and remember from which we came, and celebrate the victories that we have accomplished over these years, and will accomplish in the coming years going forward if we stand on who we are, so it's important."
Morgan Freeman and his familyCredit: Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic
As for Freeman, who grew up primarily in Mississippi, Black history wasn't something he was originally familiar with. After researching and informing himself on his identity, the proud dad of four and grandfather of 14 explains he moved through life not feeling as though his culture was an issue.
"I grew up in Mississippi primarily, in the Mississippi Delta, [and] what I knew about Black history was nothing. We studied Mississippi history, which didn't deal with slavery at all or any kind of history that dealt with Black people," he shares. "And I didn't start to get any information that I needed until I got out and started reading other material."
"I think because I didn't know that ignorance informed me, so I ... just didn't recognize my Blackness as a problem in life. It was something to just deal with and move on, and I think the same way now," Freeman, 89, adds. "My Blackness is not a problem for me. It's something that I embrace."
Freeman goes on to say that now he feels a responsibility to instill that pride in his family.
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"I have a responsibility to my kids, and my kids' kids, and my kids' kids' kids that they grow up having a sense of themselves as themselves, not as second-class anything," he says.
Both Freeman and Vereen aim to instill the true values of Juneteenth and as much Black history into their children in every endeavor. In their recent project The Gray House, where Vereen stars as Isham Worthy and Freeman serves as an executive producer, the Tony Award-winning actor is joined by his daughter Kabara Vereen, who's also a producer on the series.
Ben Vereen and his daughter Kabara VereenCredit: Kris Connor/BET/Getty
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Working alongside his daughter allows Vereen the unique opportunity to instill all of the values and lessons of the holiday into his daughter while working on highlighting the story of unsung heroes in Black history.
"We must tell them," Freeman says, referring to the untold stories of the impactful voices in Black history. "They must be told."
Echoing Freeman's sentiments, Vereen adds, "Yes, we must. And we will."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
