After decades of being celebrated at mostly the local level, Juneteenth – the long-standing holiday that commemorates the arrival of news of emancipation and freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 – became a federal holiday in 2021. In honor of this year’s Juneteenth, The Conversation reached out to Wake Forest University humanities professor Corey D. B. Walker for a list of readings that can help people better understand the history and meaning of the observance.

Each state in our nation has the opportunity to honor two great Americans hailing from their state with statues in the U.S. Capitol. When I was Governor, I had the privilege of signing legislation to change Nebraska’s statues and honor two tremendous Nebraskans: Chief Standing Bear and Willa Cather. This week as U.S. Senator, I am humbled to see that process come to fruition as we welcome the arrival of Willa Cather’s statue on June 7th.

Recently released economic indicators for Nebraska’s workforce are missing a critical data point. Having the highest labor participation in the nation does little good if there are only 42 workers available for every 100 open jobs in our state, as indicated in recent data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As of March 2023, there were 65,000 job openings in Nebraska.

Mentors are a critical part of any business, and even throughout life in general.  Other people hold invaluable wisdom that helps us grow, not just as a business, but as a human being.  One of the first questions I see new real estate investors ask, often before they’ve even read a single book about investing, is “Where can I find a mentor?” or “Will you be my mentor?”.  Mentors are a critical part of real estate investing, and any business for that matter, but please, I beg you, stop asking for them.