Dancer at a Juneteenth celebration in Washington, D.C. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith.
Juneteenth — June 19th, also known as Emancipation Day — is one of the commemorations of people seizing their freedom in the United States.
This beautiful tradition of Black freedom needs to be taught in school.
Yet, if the right wing has its way, it will be illegal to teach students about Juneteenth. Six states now prohibit teaching about structural racism, and legislation is underway in at least 15 more states. If conservative legislators succeed, it will be illegal to teach about the founding of this country on slavery and genocide or the long Black freedom struggle.
A bill in Texas states that teachers “may not require, make part of a course, or award a grade or course credit, including extra credit” service-learning work, lobbying, advocacy, or political activism. Some statewide bills go as far as to ban teaching about the very structures and systems that led to enslavement and the ongoing iterations of how these structures continue to manifest in policing, redlining, voter suppression laws, and more.
But educators around the country pledge to teach the truth about structural racism — regardless of the law. On June 12th, hundreds of teachers in at least 50 cities and towns joined the national day of action to #TeachTruth. At historic sites, they pledged to teach the truth, to illustrate the history that teachers would be required to lie about or omit where the GOP anti-history bills become law.
Watch Professor Greg Carr's conversation with high school teacher Jessica Rucker about Juneteenth and Reconstruction. See the full recording of the Teach the Black Freedom Struggle conversation and related resources.
Lawmakers in at least 21 states are attempting to pass legislation to require teachers to lie to students about racism, sexism, heterosexism, and oppression throughout U.S. history.
