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?
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