When I Learned About Juneteenth

I never heard or read that Texas slaves were captive still, by masters so depraved, till June nineteenth of eighteen sixty-five, when news of freedom reached those still alive. No passage of my school books ever claimed there even was a day with such a name. At forty-five, I had the chance to learn, amid the news of riots, tear gas burns of Black Lives Matter, president’s loud shouts, of Juneteeth’s name and what it’s all about. That made me ask what else about our past does not get taught in schools, but should at last? Who else’s triumphs over any hate should all kids learn about and celebrate?