As Juneteenth Becomes Co-Opted, Don’t Forget Its Texas Roots
Growing up in Houston, as long as I can remember, Juneteenth was commemorated with intimate family gatherings filled with song, dance, and eating of red-hued foods symbolic of the blood shed by our ancestors. It’s always been a special holiday around here and throughout the rest of Texas, celebrated locally in the state since the 1860s and becoming an official state holiday in 1980. Now a federal holiday, Juneteenth has been cheapened by people who don’t know its true meaning. […]