Educator Tells The Story Of Juneteenth

By Bob Vosseller

JACKSON –

The story of Juneteenth started on June 19, 1865, when slaves were told they were free two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

The slaveowners kept their freedom a secret until Major General Gordon Granger marched troops into Galveston, Texas to tell them.

Michelle Washington Wilson lent her talents as a storyteller in a presentation at the township library entitled “When the Cavalry Came to Call.”

“I’m here to talk to you about Juneteenth, a federal holiday signed into law in 2021,” she said. Originating in Galveston, Juneteenth has since been observed annually in various parts of the country, often broadly celebrating African-American culture. President Joseph Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day

Teachers And Retirees Honored

By

During that session, the Board recognized the Teachers of the Year: Christine Mille of Dr. Gerald H. Woehr Elementary School, Lisa Mal- of New Egypt Middle School and Dennis Wilno of New Egypt High School.

Geardino described Wilno’s work saying, “he is always touching hearts on every level. He is constantly connecting with students and their families. Your flexibility and grace show how deeply you are in fostering the education of our students.”

“He loves education so much he even works part time as a librarian in the evening and that is how we first met and he

Act into law.

“It has been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day and Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the blend of the word June and nineteenth because it was on June 19 th 1865 that people working as slaves in Texas finally got the word that we were free at last,” she said. She noted, “the celebra- tion started in Texas with church picnics and speeches and spread as black Texans moved elsewhere.”

The story of Juneteenth has moved people who hear of it. She shared people’s reactions to her presentations in the past.

“Just a few months ago I presented another program (Juneteenth - See Page 4)