"Juneteenth marks one crucial point in time, but also reminds us
to sustain the liberation efforts that made the events of June 19,
1865 possible."

Dear John, 

It's sad and ironic that today, just two years after President
Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday, powerful political forces
are working diligently to ensure that children never learn about
Juneteenth in school. Efforts to ban books present a narrow,
whitewashed version of America's history and conspire to
perpetuate the racist systems that created today's starkly
inequitable conditions. That same dishonesty prevents all students,
especially Black and Brown students, from even acquiring the
vocabulary to critique those systems. 

That's why on this Juneteenth, we are proud to celebrate the CDF
Freedom Schools® program. To cap our largest-ever CDF Freedom
Schools training just two weeks ago, our graduation speaker, author
Derecka Purnell, declared this group of CDF Servant Leader Interns the
"most important class ever" because of the present
challenges to teaching the truth. More than just enriching reading
skills, CDF Freedom Schools enrich the minds of young scholars with
book characters who look like them, with themes and stories that
resonate with them, and with history that reflects the Black freedom
struggle and other fights for justice. In the spirit of the Freedom
Summer of 1964, CDF Freedom Schools inspire movement toward a more
just America by first casting light on the structural injustice our
scholars and their families endure, then activating their power to
make change. 
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In his best-selling book How the Word Is Passed, journalist Clint
Smith offers a powerful reflection on his visit to a Juneteenth
commemoration led by Scholars from the Nia Cultural Center CDF Freedom
School in Galveston, TX. Please take a few minutes today to read
Clint's reflection and consider the formative effect of
children's interaction with their true history-and what
could be the unfortunate impact of that history's absence. 
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Juneteenth marks one crucial point in time, but also reminds us to
sustain the liberation efforts that made the events of June 19, 1865
possible. CDF embraces that charge today and everyday as we build
community with you so young people grow up with dignity, hope, and
joy. 

For our children, 

SDW 

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