President Biden signs legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday
On Thursday afternoon, President Biden signed legislation officially making Juneteenth a federal holiday. Juneteenth, a combination of the words June and 19th, marks the day in 1865 when Union Army General Gordon Granger proclaimed the end of slavery to individuals in Galveston Texas.
Abraham Lincoln had outlawed slavery more than two years prior to this with the Emancipation Proclamation, but the enforcement of the end of slavery in Texas had been poor and inconsistent until Granger arrived in the state with Union troops and made his proclamation, known as General Order No. 3.
Now Juneteenth is formally recognized as a federal holiday, on which we as a nation will celebrate the emancipation of enslaved persons in the United States. It is an important moment in our nation’s accounting for slavery, and an important step towards addressing systemic racism in our country.
But as AFT President Randi Weingarten remarked, there is still more work to do.
“While we celebrate this new federal holiday, we also must learn from it, particularly the lessons of struggle, trauma and violence, as well as perseverance, triumph and achievement, that is the lived experience of Black Americans,” said Randi. “Ironically, because of some new laws passed in states like Texas—the birthplace of Juneteenth—educators will be stopped from teaching about this new holiday and its importance. That is just wrong. Freedom gained was and is not the end of racism and injustice in this country. To build a more just and equitable future, we must learn from and reflect on our past, and teach accurate history in our schools, so we can discuss and learn from the events that should never be forgotten.”
Check out Share My Lesson’s resource page for more information about Juneteenth and for materials to use in your classrooms.
Register Now for AFT Teach – to be held virtually July 6-20
Registration is now open for AFT’s biennial professional learning conference, TEACH (Together Educating America’s Children), to be held virtually this July 6-10.
TEACH 2021 will feature:
Inspiring speakers on key issues like rebuilding academically from the pandemic and creating anti-racist communities;
Engaging cross-curricular sessions with meaningful tools and resources to use in your school; and
Solutions to ensure students’ social emotional learning and the freedom to thrive; and
Opportunities to collaborate with colleagues.
AFT has lowered the cost of registration for TEACH this year, with the fee for certificated members reduced to $50, and the fee for new teachers, classified members, and retirees further reduced to $25.
Register now! You can also join the TEACH 2021 community on Share My Lesson to review conference content from 2019, find related resources and join the discussion about what you hope to see at TEACH 2021.
