The White House on Monday announced new initiatives to preserve Black history just days before Juneteenth.
President Biden recognized June 16 as a federal holiday in 2021. The day commemorates when the last enslaved Africans in Galveston, Texas learned of their emancipation.
“This isn’t a national holiday or a day off from work, this is really about celebrating a moment in time, in our history,” said Neera Tanden, the president’s domestic policy adviser. said from the White House on Monday.
“We know history is under attack,” Tanden continued. “There are forces in our country that want to erase aspects of our history… fundamentally, these attacks aim to change our history.”
Under the new initiatives, Tanden said, the White House will work to expand access to Black history.
One way will be through the National Endowment for the Humanities, which will establish a national program that celebrates Juneteenth and promotes Black history and culture before next year’s holiday.
The program will include new funding in all 50 states to support reading and discussion programs, interactive workshops on the legacy of slavery and emancipation, and classroom-ready Juneteenth content for K-12 teachers.
These latest steps come as states and school districts begin to limit what teachers can teach.
As of January 2021, 44 states have introduced bills or taken measures that would limit how teachers can discuss racism and sexism, according to an analysis from Education Week.
Schools have also begun to ban the types of books that can be taught. Many books, such as Toni Morrison’s award-winning “Beloved,” delve into the horrific realities of slavery.
To combat these bans and limitations, the U.S. Department of Education has appointed a book ban response coordinator to support the public and school communities in understanding the civil rights impact that book restrictions can have, and the circumstances under which such restrictions may violate federal civil rights laws.
June 19th will also be recognized as one of three National Voting Action Days.
These three days will focus on providing voters with the information they need about how, where and when to vote. It will also encourage students to register and vote and aims to combat voter suppression tactics.
Both Biden and former President Trump are courting Black voters ahead of November, with Biden struggling in recent polls to match the historic support Democratic presidential candidates have won from a key party demographic.
Biden hopes to woo black voters back to his camp by highlighting his racial justice initiatives, such as naming the most diverse cabinet in history and nominating Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The Congressional Black Caucus is also stepping up its work around June 19th. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), the caucus chairman, said Monday that the House Democratic Caucus will participate in a “week of action.”
“As we honor Juneteenth, we will also praise the achievements we have made to date and talk about the work that remains to be done,” Horsford said. “This is how we elevate our history, this is how we continue the progress that needs to be made.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
