On June 19, 1865 – more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation – word finally reached Galveston, Texas that slavery had been abolished. For more than a century, people have celebrated “Juneteenth” as the end of slavery in the U.S. 

At first, Antonia wasn’t sure about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Like many people, the retired Florida farmworker had heard some negative things about it.  

Libby Chase works on the Civic Space Global Initiative, addressing the increasing closing of civic space around the world.

In 2020, AFSC launched the Under the Mask project to track governmental abuses of power in the context of the pandemic. While countries around the world enacted measures to contain the virus, some governments have exploited COVID-19 to impose authoritarian policies—including expanding surveillance of everyday citizens and restricting free speech and other civil liberties.

Our Under the Mask project brought together activists and civil society organizations from 32 countries for online discussions about their experiences and ways to counter oppressive state measures.