“Hold those things that tell your history and protect them. During slavery, who was able to read or write or keep anything? The ability to have somebody to tell your story to is so important. It says: ‘I was here. I may be sold tomorrow. But you know I was here.'” —Maya Angelou

 On June 19, 1865, enslaved men and women in Texas found out—weeks after the Civil War ended—that they were free, and the Union Army’s Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” Through the Thirteenth Amendment emancipation officially ended slavery throughout the United States, but chattel slavery did not immediately end and the road to freedom was scarred by the long-term economic impact and social constraints of systemic racism.

But the story doesn’t end on that day. 

The celebration of Juneteenth represents a monumental moment in our shared history but the details and lingering discrimination and resulting struggles also remain largely unknown to many Americans even after the Juneteenth holiday was signed into federal law in 2021. And this year’s Juneteenth celebrations take place at a critical moment in our nation’s history in the face of bans on selected history and ethnic studies programs, censorship of LGBTQ stories, and voter suppression efforts. 

We believe words matter and education is an important tool to help defeat xenophobia and racism. And providing ethnic studies in schools promises a higher level of engagement for traditionally marginalized student groups, heightened awareness of civic and cultural engagement, and a broader acceptance of the experiences of others. The fight for justice, racial equity, and human rights in our American story begins in the public education classroom. With an ethnic studies curriculum in every school, we can share the context and importance of events like Juneteenth as well as the truths, histories, and voices of all of our people. Ethnic studies education is not only about the past, but also helps us all make connections to present-day civil rights discrimination, attacks on our civil liberties, and the stumbling block of political scapegoating. We need to honor Juneteenth but also remember to address the legacy of racism head-on to build a stronger future. This is about all of us.