The ribbon commemorating June drapes historical markers in one of Knoxville’s several cemeteries, and enslaved people are buried. (Photo: Angela Dennis)

As Tennessee cities prepare for a celebration in June, deeper questions remain with leaders unfolding, vendors set up and finalizing programs to celebrate Black liberation: What does it mean to celebrate national freedoms that limit how that history of freedom is taught?

In Tennessee, it is owned by state legislators. Gut Day It banned programs, books by black authors, and restricted the way teachers talk about race and history in the classroom.

This year’s celebrations also come with cuts. June events nationwide It has been reduced Due to reduced DEI funding, it cancelled federal grants and retreated from corporate support for racial justice initiatives.

For many black educators, organizers and students, the policy feels like it was created to mark the modern echo of June’s delay freedom. It represents a continuing struggle for true freedom and liberation.

Republican Super Mayority passed the bill and local governments to “dismantle” the state’s DEI.

“The attacks on our history, information, our professors, universities and teachers are horrifying,” said Tennessee Assemblyman Justin Pearson. “One of the first tools of oppression is to deny education for people. At this moment in Tennessee and across the nation, we see policies and practices that are very detrimental to society’s memories of where we are.”

On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned that they were free for more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The delay in freedom highlights the same struggle we see today, for many, just as laws and policies try to curb education in black history and limit education freedom.

What began as a local celebration grew into a national symbol of black freedom in 2021, as June was signed into law by President Joe Biden. Gov. Bill Lee signed a law in 2023 that allows it to be celebrated as a state holiday in June.

“Recognizing June as a June holiday reveals deep hypocrisy while passing laws that harm the black community,” Pearson said. “We are technically free, yet are trapped in the system academically, environmentally, politically and civicly.”

While recognition of June as a federal holiday in June is important for other community leaders, it raises important questions about the intent and timing of such a move.

Chris Woodhull, a longtime civic leader in East Tennessee, reflected on how he and others taught importance long before gaining national visibility decades ago.

“In the 90s, I was teaching young people and young people in June through an organization called Tribe One,” Woodhull says. “We were talking about the legacy of liberation and slavery before it became popular.”

When it became a federal public holiday in June in 2021, Woodhull is gaining momentum behind the movement to defeat police, unaware that George Floyd in 2020 was the timing of the Minneapolis police officers and subsequent uprisings.

“June became a federal holiday when people were on the streets demanding justice, systemic change and real change, not vacuuming, in the wake of George Floyd’s death,” he said.

He appreciates the symbolism of recognition, but Woodhull said that in some sensed a gesture intended to soothe the system of power rather than challenge it, like concessions. Still, Woodhull believes that June holds true importance, especially if it is rooted in truth and history.

“There are a lot of well-intentioned people who want to celebrate June but don’t really understand what it means,” he said. “We can’t afford it just another holiday. The challenge is to make sure we don’t just mark the day, but also honor the story and the struggles behind it.”

In recent years, Tennessee lawmakers have passed drastic laws targeting teachings of race, diversity and black history. In 2021, the state passed a law prohibiting the concept of division in public education, followed by restrictions on mandatory DEI training in higher education in 2022. These measures were followed by further legislation in 2025 aimed at dismantling the statewide DEI program.

Book bans and curriculum restrictions are also spread throughout Tennessee. In January 2022, McMinn County deleted Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel mouse From the 8th grade curriculum.

That same year, Hamilton County formed a review board to assess the books of “aggression,” leading to the removal of the title in black and LGBTQ+ voices. Knoxville includes 113 books push He was drawn from school by the black author Sapphire. Wilson County deleted nearly 400 books, including Toni Morrison’s work, but Nashville Public Library responded by promoting banned books in the week of banned books. In Chattanooga Hatred gives Angie Thomas has also been removed.

Despite political efforts to limit classroom content, Tennessee educators are finding ways to teach juniors and Center Black Freedom.

“June has always been a topic I discussed in my class,” said Dr. Learotha Williams, an associate professor of African American and Public History at Tennessee State University and director of the North Nashville Heritage Project. “It was one of the celebrations that continued.”

Williams believes that black history must extend beyond traditional classrooms. His courses split time between lectures and community exploration, including visits to historical sites. At the Hadley Park Community Center in Nashville, he also led the Black Nashville community course, taking community members to once enslaved markets and lynching sites. He draws inspiration from Carter G. Woodson, author and historian known as “The Father of Black History.” He urged scholars to consider whether their work would raise or alienate the communities they are studying.

“It was one of the most rewarding educational experiences I’ve ever had,” he said. “It involved students and many elders from the community who are directly involved in the history of their city.”

In Knoxville, nationally recognized and award-winning educator Dr. Melody Hawkins sees it as an opportunity for classroom reflection and release in June despite increased restrictions on educators like her own.

“Every time people hear about all the books that have been banned, there’s an assumption that it means we can’t do our job yet,” she said. “But you can still affirm. We call it a good teacher.”

She believes that the focus on restricted terminology is less of a focus on how educators show up to students.

“June has taught us about our history and will help us build classrooms that Black students feel safe, precious and can thrive freely,” she said.

Her future books, Black girl in the middleexplores how racial and gender biases for black girls shape education, especially in middle school. Educators didn’t create a system that alienates students, but Hawkins said “we’re still responsible for how we respond to them.”

In eastern Tennessee, the Black of Appalachia, an educational institution, preserves and amplifies the story of the black history and community of the area, especially in rural areas with much of its history. Director William Isom sees the current climate as part of a larger historical pattern of erasure.

“From my point of view, none of these are new. This oppression is just a continuation of our history,” he said.

ISOM refers to reconstruction as parallel.

“If we take a close look at how local archives and historic societies have formed the community through reconstruction and how it was formed by its dismantling, they will see the throughline.”

His advice is to focus on community recordkeeping.

“The everyday people who create their own records and share family stories are more powerful than what an organization can do.”

Adam Dixon, the cultural director of the Langston Center in Johnson City, runs a monthly public series. Community History 365. He believes that the burden of maintaining and teaching black history is now heavily dependent on the community.

“June will strengthen the overall idea of ​​the American story and strengthen our efforts to eliminate differences in perspective around this important day,” Dixon said.

For Pearson, embracing Juntenten is also about Black Joy. He said it is just as essential as a political or educational fight.

“There’s a song, “This joy I have, the world doesn’t give it to me, the world can’t take it,” he said. “We are still here despite everything that has been done to reduce humanity. That’s good news, and we are responsible for carrying the spirit of those who have come before us, both in our struggle and in celebration.