More than 150 years ago, Frederick Douglass, a celebrated author, activist and leader in the abolitionist movement, spoke before a crowd in our nation's Capitol saying, "where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe."
These words ring as true today as they did in 1866 when he spoke them. They can provide direction as a new generation of Americans chart their path toward a more perfect union. But in South Carolina, Texas, Florida and many more states across our nation, these words are considered dangerous, and even teaching them is now illegal.
I can think of nothing more dangerous than the frontal assault on our nation's true history.
There is no Vice President Kamala Harris or Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, or President Barack Obama without Frederick Douglas and the people of Galveston, Texas. The journey to Juneteenth and its impact is American history.
This is a preview of Symone D. Sanders-Townsend's latest article. Read more here.
