Some San Diego Unified students honored this week’s national Juneteenth holiday by raising a flag over the district’s headquarters on Tuesday.
With the Black National Anthem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" playing, a group of elementary and middle school students took time from their summer vacation to honor their heritage and the national holiday celebrating the end of slavery across America on June 19, 1865.
“Juneteenth is a special holiday that celebrates the freedom of African Americans from slavery," said Kaylin Stewart, 11, who will be a 6th grader at Taft Middle School this fall. She spoke on the significance of the holiday.
The San Diego Unified School District made the tradition of flying flags that show unity and diversity. The Juneteenth flag is red, white, and blue in a formation that represents a promising horizon for the Black community with a star that confirms they are American.
Elleisha Elzien is a resource teacher in the district's office of youth advocacy. She organized the flag-raising event.
“Juneteenth is a significant date in American history. Some folks might think it’s just a Black history event … when really Black history is American history," Elzien said.
Juneteenth is a word blending June and nineteenth, a date made famous in the southeast Texas island community of Galveston.
The community just 40 miles from Houston, is home to a statue of U.S. Army General Gordon Granger announcing the end of slavery on June 19th, 1865.
That was almost two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It took that long to deliver the news to the last of the slaves who had not heard it.
“Can you imagine waiting that long to find out that you’re free? It’s a reminder of how important it is to never give up on fighting for what’s right," said Kaylin Stewart, concluding her speech.
