I have taught several classes related to racism, segregation, prejudice, enslavement, and cooking on Outschool.  I feel that Juneteenth is an often overlooked but significant holiday in American History. 

When I was born my birth certificate read, “Negro”.  This is when my story began.  In less than a span of a decade, my race went from “Negro” and “Colored” to “Black”.  I arrived in America at a local hospital during one of the most tumultuous times in America.  

Historically, there were bombings. police brutality, dogs, and water hoses used to restrained and oppress the Civil Rights movement.  By the time I was five, Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated and I was placed in a predominately white school.  Although  I was excited to be a kindergartner, I did not fully ascertain that I was breaking a color barrier.  At that time, it was even hard to find Black dolls, read a book, or watch a movie with a Black person represented in a positive light.  

As a homeschool mom,  it was important to supplement my children’s education with oral history, materials, research, literature, and statistics about the many people groups within the United States.  Being able to mentor my kids about this knowledge is with the same amount of care I want to give when explaining these sensitive topics to your children. It’s important to me and many people within my community to be able to have these conversations and to do it in a way that gets the point across all while educating children with a lesson that they will keep for the rest of their lives.  I was afforded the opportunity to take courses in Africana Studies, sociology, psychology, and marketing for my undergraduate degree.  I am the fourth generation emancipated from enslavement.   My father and paternal grandparents were from the Mississippi and had experienced Jim Crow, racism, and discrimination.  Given all my past experiences I also had the honor of mentoring my Black, Asian, and Native American peers as they transitioned into university life.  I have lived abroad and now reside in the USA.  Living Black in America has its own parameters and paradigms. I’m here to introduce your learner to a perspective and historical holiday that has existed for many years.