A Texan’s Thoughts on Juneteenth

By: Kayla Gould

Juneteenth is a day to celebrate our country’s second Independence Day. As a Texan, this day is especially important for us to remember and to be educated about because we were unfortunately the last state to enforce the emancipation proclamation to free all the slaves. 

In Texas, when you are in the 7th grade you take a course all about Texas history and spend the next 10 months discussing material like The Alamo. However, something that was never in our 10-month curriculum was Juneteenth. I didn’t know what Juneteenth symbolized until recently. As a Texan, I am disappointed that I never had the opportunity to learn about Texas’ role on the day of Juneteenth. 

With the help of ARCC, I hope that all of us Texans have an opportunity to be educated properly about Juneteenth and its importance. Because Juneteenth is a day to remember not only our country’s history but Texas history and acknowledge Black stories.