Convenience Big Store: Special Juneteenth edition: An important history lesson

New signage that will be installed on the highway entering the Island to recognize its place as the birthplace of Juneteenth on Friday, June 16, 2023 in Galveston.

We must continue to tell the stories of Juneteenth

I recently shared on social media that I didn't learn about Juneteenth in any classroom or history book. Of course, I knew it was a celebration of freedom in June but that's about it.

Other people shared similar stories on social media. Then one person wrote:

"Something tells me you didn't grow up in Texas, and if you did you either weren't paying attention or didn't understand why so many reunions were celebrated sometimes in the middle of June."

I'm a proud native Texan, born and raised in Houston. I'm a product of public and private schools, and neither in my childhood went into any detail about Juneteenth. I paid so much attention in my Texas history class in junior high that I noticed there was hardly a mention of Black, Latino or Native Americans.

I hope our children's history lessons are more inclusive now. But, judging from what's happening with the history of slavery being removed from textbooks, I don't have confidence those lessons are being taught.

So as journalists, we have to continue to tell the stories of Juneteenth, the history of the nation, including slavery, and our celebrations of freedom.

Today's newsletter is all about Juneteenth. Check on my video on the Chronicle's TikTok page. Also, please visit houstonchronicle/juneteenth.

Do you have a story to share or know of one that needs to be told? Share it with us here.

Joy Sewing, Columnist

Joy.Sewing@houstonchronicle.com

Worth your time

Singer Prescylia Mae performs for a crowd attending the dedication ceremony of the Absolute Equality mural – which was is part of the Juneteenth Legacy Project – on Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Galveston.

Photo by: Godofredo A. Vásquez/Staff Photographer

Why do we celebrate Juneteenth? As a Texan, it's an important history lesson

In a box of old photos and letters, I kept a small card about Juneteenth that I found in high school.

Not sure where I got the card, but it was my only proof that I learned something about the day's significance growing up. Juneteenth was not in my history books or even part of a class discussion.

The card explained in a few sentences that June 19, 1865, marked the day enslaved men, women and children in Texas found out they were free, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It took two years for the news of freedom to travel to Texas, which meant two more years of bodies in bondage, two more years of pain.

Nothing about commemorating that date made sense, but I was young and armed with only a portion of the story.

My latest column.