TaNeika Driver-Moultrie Discusses the History, Meaning and Legacy of Juneteenth

In this episode of Inside Killeen Podcast, host Daelan Cheh sits down with TaNeika Driver-Moultrie for an in-depth conversation about Juneteenth, its origins, and its lasting significance in American history. Driver-Moultrie explores the events that led to June 19, 1865, the cultural importance of the holiday, and why understanding Juneteenth remains essential today.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

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SPEAKER_01 0:25

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Inside Clean Podcast brought to you by KDH News. My name is Dalen Che. I'm the host of Day. Today I'm today my co-host is Hamita Botchway and the producer is Kevin Limity. Today our guest is Tanika Moultrie, president of NAWCP and director of the Community Health Clinic. And today we're going to be talking about Juneteenth. How are y'all doing today?

SPEAKER_06 0:48

Good afternoon. How are you? Doing it. Pretty good. Good, good.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

So, Ms. Moultrie, the first question I want to ask is what does Juneteenth mean to you, knowing that the NAWCP is going to be participating in this year's Juneteenth Fest?

SPEAKER_06 1:00

So Juneteenth means to me, when I first got here back in December of 1997, I had no idea what Juneteenth was. And so I came from Illinois and they just did not teach us about what Juneteenth was during history, you know, lessons. And so when I got here, that is when I found out what Juneteenth actually meant and what was the history behind, you know, the overall observance of this particular day. So the significance to me is very historical. It tells me and shows me, you know, number one, how the history of my ancestors was lost, you know, for a period of two and a half years. How did that happen? You know, what transpired? What took place? What didn't happen? How come the message didn't get to where it needed to get to? So it just inspired me that much more to be very vocal and to understand and celebrate that significant part of our history each and every year. And so that is I am that's why I'm very proud to be a part of the NAACP so that we can recognize and celebrate what took place on June 19th, 1865. It is also my responsibility to share with those in the current moment and those who are coming behind us, our future leaders as well. And so to be able to share the experience and the history behind it with my daughter is very, very important to me as an African American in our culture.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

Yes. And this year the NAAACP is doing a three-day-long event. You tell you about what's going to be going on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

SPEAKER_06 2:36

So I would be remiss if I didn't thank those who spearheaded and were the force behind this. And so Mr. Huggins and Ms. Or Washington, both former presidents of the Kaleen branch, NACP, thought it fitting to bring the festivities and the celebrity uh celebrations here to the Central Texas area. So they did their research over 30 years ago to bring the Juneteenth celebration right here to the city of Kaleen. And so one thing that they wanted to ensure that they did each and every year was to make sure that whatever we did was free and open to the public. Because of course, we're celebrating Freedom Day. This is when our ancestors' slaves found out that they were freed here in uh Texas. And so, again, that resounding message has carried over throughout the last 30 years. And so this year we decided to do a three-day event. And some years we find ourselves doing a three-day event. We call it the three piece pageant picnic parade. And so that is what we will be doing this year is the pageant, the picnic, and the parade to celebrate the 161st anniversary of Juneteenth. And so we will have our pageant on Thursday, uh June 18th at 6:30 p.m. at the Clean Arts and Activities Center, where young ladies will get the opportunity to vie for the title of Miss Juneteenth. One of the things that I love about the pageant is it's not about beauty, it's about intellect. And so our young ladies are going to be challenged in their intellect to be able to showcase that to the judges to vie for that title. That young lady will also receive a $500 scholarship to go off to college to help further her educational goals. We also this year have a Mr. Juneteenth. And so what we decided to do to incorporate our younger generation was have them have a part in this as well. And so we want to make sure we're include, you know, including everyone and not excluding anyone. And so we offset every other year. So our younger groups are elementary members of the NACP. We rotate. So this year was Mr. Juneteenth. Next year will be junior Miss Juneteenth. And so that individual is uh Mr. Malachi Barnes. He was selected as uh Mr. Juneteenth. And so that will take place on next Thursday. On Friday, we decided that we would reenact Juneteenth because again, you know, sometimes we feel like the messaging, the history, the significance behind Juneteenth has gotten lost. And so we want to make sure that everyone understands what Juneteenth is about, why it came into existence, and what it stands for in our community. I think it's more important here in this very own community because we are a military community and we're so transient, and people are coming from different walls of life, different backgrounds, different areas. And as I stated, for me, I came from Illinois. So I didn't know anything about Juneteenth. So this gives us the opportunity to give a history of it and to show or reenact what has been shared with us, what has been told to us about Juneteenth so that we can show it to our community. After that, excuse me, and that will be at Dallas Community Center. That will be at 10 a.m. on Juneteenth, on June 19th on that Friday. We will then transition over to the VFW 99 9191, where we will have our picnic. And so we will have free food, just fellowship fun, having a really good time. Because this is what our former slaves did during Juneteenth. Once they got the uh her general order number three, and then they went to the church to praise God, and then they went to have a picnic at a day of jubilee. They had this big, big picnic with food. And what better way to bring people together than food? You know, we come together, we have a really good time, and so we will have that, and it's open to the uh public. Again, all of this is free and open to the public, so anyone can come out and have hot dolls, hamburgers, watermelon, baked beans, uh, coleslaw, red soda water, as Mr. Huggins calls it. So everyone will be able to partake in that. We will have uh vendors there so people can get a variety of information there. The Greater Kaleen Community Clinic will be giving out information on extreme heat. So we'll have several fans to give away an information for our seniors just to make sure people are staying safe in these climbing temperatures as well. We'll have indivisible syntax there doing voter registration, of course, which is very important for the NACP, is something that, of course, is high on our program list each and every year, every day. That that's what our focus is. And then on that Saturday, we will wrap up with our pageant, I mean our parade, excuse me, at 10 a.m. in downtown Killeen. So anyone is able to join in that. You can walk, you can ride, you can glide, you can slide, whatever, you know. We just want people to be able to come out. And so if people have vehicles, they can participate. If people have bikes, they can participate. If people want to walk, they can participate, you know, and then the fire truck will be the trick tail end of the parade, and that will wrap up our festivities for the NAACP Virgin team.

SPEAKER_02 8:35

Is it just a parade, or is will Europe be a festival after?

SPEAKER_06 8:39

It'll just be the parade. So the festival will be on the 19th, yes, ma'am. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

And I want to go back to the pageant. I like that you said it was not just about beauty and also about intellect. And we interviewed your past winner, Kyla Jones, last year, and you could definitely tell by the way she did her interview. And I really love that. Can you tell us a little bit more about the pageant?

SPEAKER_06 9:01

Yes. And so, Ms. June teeth is open to those. The criteria is to be able to participate. The young lady has to be a graduating senior who is of the age of 17, and we go all the way up to the age of 21. And so if they're in college, they're able to participate as well. It's free for them to come and buy for the title. They participate in practices, they have various practices so that we're getting them ready for the upcoming pageant. Our coordinator this past two years, you know, it just seems like it's it's such a blessing how this seems to morph and fold, you know. So our coordinator is actually our uh former youth council president. And so she attends Prairie View AM. And so when she comes home from college for the summer, she coordinates and puts together the Miss Juneteenth pageant. She works with the young ladies as well. And so the thing that all of them love about it, and I was talking to them last night as they were practicing, you know, just thanking them for participating. I said, young ladies, again, you're all winners in my book. So let me say that before the pageant even starts. But this is not about beauty. And I think that taking that off of them, that load off of them, that stress off of them, to for them to know that they don't have to put on a bathing suit or, you know, all of this makeup or, you know, all of this various hairstyles and these lashes and everything. And there's nothing wrong with it. Let me say this there's nothing wrong with it. But we want them to come just as they are, to express who they are and share with us who they are, who is the real you. And so having them participate in that intellectual piece of the pageant to just come out as, you know, a young lady, because you are stepping into a whole new role once you graduate. You know, we've, I feel, you know, you're stepping into a whole different world. You know, you're being morphed into a woman, you know? And so it's great to see the young ladies do all of this, you know, to see what unfolds with each and every one of them. But today, take that beauty off of them. We thought that that was very important. It's been that way since the beginning, and we just love it. We just love it. And just to hear their responses to world news or what's going on in the world today, you know, there's no right or wrong answer. It's just how they feel, you know. What do they think? What are their thoughts, you know? And so it's it's wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 11:33

And this is it open to anyone in Kleen, like the area.

SPEAKER_06 11:36

Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. So it is open to anyone who in Central Texas. So, um, and Colleen Copper Scove is who uh the contestants we typically get. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

Yes, Sam. And I want to talk a little bit more about just the history of June team. Now you have mentioned that you were not born in Texas, but you have done your research. Yes. So can you talk to us about just some of the history that you've learned over the time in years?

SPEAKER_06 12:01

Yes. So, of course, July 19th, 1865, and was just hearing various stories of okay, this happened, this didn't happen, the tele, the person who was bringing the telegraph to Texas, you know, they got killed along the way, you know, or just different things. And so I was asked to speak at Lions Club Senior Center, and I just wanted to make sure that I was doing my due diligence about, you know, reiterating the message and the history correctly. And so I was Googling one day on the computer and I saw that they have this Juneteenth and Beyond tour in Galveston. And so I made reservations to go, my daughter and I, and the woman called me on the phone and she says, We look forward to having you. And she was just so welcoming and kind. You know, she was just wonderful, and we're still friends to this day. Like I have her number in my cell phone. Her name is Dr. Eramenta Sorrell. And so when we got there to Galveston, we met her at her office and got in the van with her, and she took us around Galveston to show us the history of June T. And I will share with you all, it was such a humbling experience because I have been to Galveston many, many times, many times, and never knew that I was standing on hollowed ground.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

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SPEAKER_06 14:41

I never knew it. And I was just blocks from it, but didn't know it. So every time we went to Galveston, we just went to Seawall Boulevard. We were just there for the beach. Not realizing a couple of blocks away was the port where they brought the slaves in. You know, the dock where they sold slaves, you know, tore mothers from their kids, from their babies and sold them off. You know, we also saw Greedy Chapel, where they went, you know, once they found out they were freed. You know, the slaves were free. They went to this chapel, AME Chapel Church, that's still standing to this day, you know. And so all of this, my daughter and I got to see, and they most of it was closed, but they opened up every building when they found out we were coming. And it was just us two. They opened up every building. We even got to go into this space. It's it's actually a museum now, but behind the museum is a wall. They have this wall where the slaves would go if they were planning on running away. And so I'll show you the picture in here. They actually, one of the slaves, because you can show, so it's the original wall. There's a thumbprint in here, and I wish you could see it, but there's an actual thumbprint of a slave, you know, in this wall that's still there today. And so we didn't know all of this was happening and transpiring in Galveston. We even got to go to the area where General Gordon Granger read the order number three. You know, he stood on this building. It's called Ashton Villa. And he stood up there on the balcony and he read down to the, you know, the slaves at that time that were gathered. Once he read it, of course they knew, you know, that they were free, you know, and so just to stand there and look up and be like, you know, and you're reenacting all of this in your mind, you know. But how she took us on the tour, it showed us, you know, okay, they came here, was sold here, they went here and was sold on the scaffold. And then they just, you know, were sold to the different slave owners, you know, and they stayed in a certain part of Galveston, you know, right there, and then where Gordon Granger, General Granger stood, then to go to the church, and then to come back to this piece of land to have the picnic. It was it was truly eye-opening, you know. And they have this uh mural down there. I don't know if you all have ever seen it. They have this mural that goes across. I don't know if I have a picture of it, but I do have a picture of it in my phone. But they have this mural down there, and it shows, you know, the first when slavery came to America, when it first came to America, has Harry Tubman on there, it has Abraham Lincoln when he read the Emancipation Proclamation, then it has General Gordon Granger, and then it has Reverend, um, excuse me, Al Edwards, because he's the one that introduced Texas, you know, introduced the uh bill to have Texas recognize Juneteenth as a holiday in the state of Texas in 1979. So that's how all of that unfolded. And then it has Opal Lee. And then it has our kids who are our future leaders. It is a beautiful, beautiful mural. And at the bottom it has order number three, how was all the words down there? So it it is just a beautiful, beautiful experience, but it teaches you. So it those, so another gentleman, Mr. Sam Collins, he this man, I think he's got a history book in his head because he was able to just, you know, just ramble off all of this history. He has so much history on Juneteenth, but these two individuals, I'm gonna tell you, they know the true story behind Juneteenth. And I needed to hear it from them. That's who I needed to hear it from. And since then, I've been there two more times. We went on an HBC college tour. I took our college students there. They could not believe it. They were just like, wow. You know, when I tell people about it, they're like, I go to Galveston all the time, but they don't know that if you go closer towards the other side of the water, on the other side near the goal, that that's where the history of Juneteenth is. It's where it was proof.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

Yes, I mean, I know the history for me personally, it's always been important because for me, I think it's important for us Americans to understand why we celebrate the holidays we celebrate. Because Juneteenth, it plays a part in so many pivotal things that will happen later on in the future. Absolutely. I think about the railroads, north and south. People don't really understand that slaves are going to Mexico because Mexico at the time, slaves were free automatically. Same way it was up in Canada.

SPEAKER_06 20:09

Yes, yes. We went to actually Detroit. We went for the NACP and we took the shuttle or whatever, you know, to go to Canada. But we looked, we started where the slaves crossed over from former slaves. Start, you know, crossed over from Detroit to Canada. So it showed us where they entered into the tunnel and where they exited on the other side in Canada. It was I, I mean, eye-opening, just such an experience, you know. You're just like, wow, there's so much rich, rich history behind all of this, you know. And I my hope is that young people understand, you know, the significance of why we celebrate, why we have this three-day celebration or just celebrations in general, you know, for Juneteenth, because there are many celebrations that go on, you know. So we're gonna go to one this weekend up in Georgetown Round Rock area. But there are just so many Juneteenth celebrations that go on. And I'm just happy. I will tell you, I'm just so happy that they're going on, not just here in the state of Texas, but throughout the entire world. But I don't want it to you lose its importance and its significance behind it. And so that is why we need to make sure that, you know, behind that significance and that importance is the history of it as well. So let's talk about make sure we keep that at the forefront, the history of Juneteenth, you know, and so having individuals such as Miss Opalie, you know, wonderful, 99 years old. 99 years old, can you imagine? Still here, you know, to even he be here to live to see. Juneteenth become a federal holiday. You know, that is significant within itself. You know, and so that was a monumental moment for us as a culture as well. To have that. But I I I want to reassure, I say as the NACP, we want to reassure that people understand the history of it all and how it got started, you know, because you're thinking in your mind, I don't know if you all think, but I'm like, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued January 1, 1863. How did someone not know that they were free until June 19th, 1865? What happened? What happened, you know? And that's always been my question, you know. Was there a motive behind it? Did someone know? And just didn't share? You know, so many th things just go through your mind. However, what matters most is that it did happen. We now have Juneteenth, we celebrate it, we recognize it, you know, it is a part of our history that is not going anywhere. And so, such a wonderful thing.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

So having to go back into the fact that emancipation was in 63, we have Juneteenth 65, we have to also take into account that the world was traveling by horses. There was no cars, there was no planes. And during the Civil War, to go a little bit further back, North and South were separate. The South were running on their own rules. Right, right. So it was easy. Right. Not I'm gonna say this as correctly as I can. Slaves were looked at as economic value.

SPEAKER_06 23:51

Absolutely, absolutely. Yes, yes. And so that is some of the things that were shared to us by Mr. Sam Collins, you know, and so he was saying, you know, some of the perception behind that was that because of the labor, you know, and so slave owners still needed slaves to be able to do, you know, the farming, the keeping of the land, you know, Texas was known as a a crop, you know, area, crop state, you know, and so they needed that help, you know, it was a high need. Yes, and so, you know, was that did that play a role in it, you know, you know, so just knowing, just being able to put the pieces together and saying, okay, now I understand, you know, or maybe that did happen, you know, or maybe it didn't, you know. So, but he he did share with us some of the myths behind what took place in that two and a half years, you know. But just to be able to go on the tour and know what happened specifically on that day was truly monumental.

SPEAKER_01 25:03

Yes, ma'am. And then this is the last time I'm gonna talk about history because we can sit here forever and talk about this.

SPEAKER_04 25:07

I love history. I love history.

SPEAKER_01 25:12

General Granger, when he made the announcement, it's also failed to be mentioned in some history books that there were soldiers along with them that were also African Americans. Yes, yes, that went out to those plantations. Yes. Because you can only imagine if you were a slave, what what does freedom mean?

SPEAKER_06 25:29

Right. And it was told, and uh you can see it right here, there was 19,768 black soldiers.

SPEAKER_01 25:37

Sam, and some end up becoming Buffalo soldiers.

SPEAKER_06 25:40

Yes. So this picture right here, as you can see, you know, someone did paint it, of course, you know, they had little, this one actually has a letter that he's, you know, sharing and getting ready to send down. But for General Gordon Granger is in that photo as well. But the number of black soldiers, I didn't realize how many, you know, were serving during that time, you know, and they way surpassed the white soldiers, 6,500.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

It was like a rolling wire, the North won the Civil War.

SPEAKER_06 26:15

Yes, yes, you know, and so that was just truly awesome and amazing. And then in this photo, it shows you how Galveston looked back in 1861. You know, Galveston was the biggest city in Texas, you know, until before, of course, the hurricane hit and and you know, made major damage to the city. And then, of course, they moved inland to Houston, and that's how Houston became the biggest. But I love history. Dale, I could sit here and talk to you all day about it. You know, the church, it still has some historical significance to it as well. It was built back in what is that, 1848?

SPEAKER_01 26:56

Yes, ma'am. 1848.

SPEAKER_06 26:57

1848. And that church is still there to this day, and they still hold service. They still hold service. So I think it was last year, the year before that, former president Joe Biden actually, that's where he went for Juneteenth to celebrate the Juneteentholy. And so, again, there is just so much rich history down there. Um, and I just think it's truly amazing that we here in Texas celebrate Juneteenth the way in what in that we do. And every year it gets bigger and bigger, I believe. And I just love it. I just love every moment of it.

SPEAKER_01 27:34

So yes, um, I want to talk about now the misconceptions and some of the myths that have been put around. I know it was now federal holiday holiday in 2020, but this was celebrated years before that. This was always a thing. Would you want to talk a little bit more on just the myths and misconceptions?

SPEAKER_06 27:53

Yes, so Juneteenth, you know, it was recognized as a holiday. It has been, but a federal holiday for Joe Biden, President Joe Biden, to sign it into law was I that was the moment. That was the pivotal moment for me. I will say that was the most pivotal moment for me. And so it being, you know, just not recognized as a federal holiday. Same way with MLK, you know, not being recognized until President Ronald Reagan signed it, you know, into all. And so having these particular holidays that affect our culture, you know, affect our people, you know, is very, you know, pivotal behind it, you know, and the significance and how we got to where we were, you know, obly, you know, she helped push for that. And so we just want to make sure that the legacy, her legacy, you know, and the impact that she put behind it, though the work she put behind it, you know, really meant something. And that is why why we are where we are today is because of trailblazers, you know, such as her, you know. So I hope that answers your question. You know, as far as the the myth behind it, I don't know, I haven't heard too many.

SPEAKER_01 29:20

Well, you know, some that's saying that it's not a real holiday.

SPEAKER_06 29:24

It is. It is. And if you go online, if you Google, if we all take our phones out and Google right now, it is stated that it is a federal holiday. So you know, and so there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. There's documentation where it was signed by President Joe Biden with opally there as well around the table.

SPEAKER_02 29:53

So, you know, it's even embedded in all the calendars and everyone's everything, every other holidays.

SPEAKER_06 30:00

Yes, yes, yes, absolutely. Now, my will say some counties around the state of Texas did not put it as a holiday, a a time off holiday, you know, a closed holiday, if we will say, on their specific calendars. And so I know for Bell County they didn't. And so myself, along well, the NACP along with IBCC, we did bring it to the county commissioners and they did pass that. Let me tell you the other significant of that. I just thought about that. That was also two and a half years later.

SPEAKER_04 30:36

After so it was like history repeating itself again, you know.

SPEAKER_06 30:44

So two and a half years after it was signed into law by President Joe Biden, that is when it was signed by the county commissioners. Two and a half years later. Yes, um, I thought that was very I was like, wow. Very interesting. Yeah, when we walked out, I was like, wait a minute, that's two and a half years later, too. Hmm. Okay. After it was signed into law.

unknown 31:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:14

So I know even beforehand, because I know this back forever ago when I was a kid, a mother being the woman she is, she always told me, don't believe everything that's sold to you. And one of the things that she was teaching me at a young age was Juneteenth, and holidays that aren't federally known, but they play a significant role in what's going on. So Juneteenth, for as long as I can remember, so this was I want to say 2012. Because I know she told me beforehand, but being a kid, you didn't go always paying attention. You ain't gonna always pay attention. But she would tell me these things and she would show me articles and stories. And of course, reading the words again, me being young, I was always reading it, but I would look at the imagery.

SPEAKER_06 31:57

Right.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

And the the pictures would just tell a lot. And then later on, she would say, Now go ahead and write about it. Don't come back, you need to have at least three paragraphs.

SPEAKER_06 32:07

Good, good, good. So this is one of the pictures. I'm glad you said that. So this is one of the pictures I share with my daughter. And so it's called the I believe it's called the blanket memoir, but it was a sculpture that they actually had of Juneteenth down in Galveston. So at the bottom is the slave, and the slave is upholding the federal soldier, the African American. And you can't see it in this, but on the other side, he has in his hand a tattered American flag, and he is upholding the mother activist who is fighting for the child on her back, who is our future, our future leader. And so I this picture, this right here, tells the story, you know, of I say the birth of Juneteenth. And so seeing this, it it starts, it shows me when we talk about significance and importance, you know, we hold each other up. You know, we as African Americans as a culture, we're holding each other up so that we don't allow the impact, the significance, the you know, historical context of Juneteenth to be lost. And so when you see this, it's very important that we continue to hold each other up, you know, because we're not at the bottom of this. It's 2026. We're at the top, but we need to never forget who started it all and who's holding us up. And I love this sculpture.

SPEAKER_01 33:58

As we begin to wrap up, does anyone have any closing remarks?

SPEAKER_02 34:04

I mean, actually, you've been writing a bunch of briefs about the Juneteenth event. Can you tell us about the other events happening?

SPEAKER_01 34:11

So outside of Juneteenth, we have the Innovation Black Chamber of Commerce. They're gonna be hosting their Juneteenth festival. I believe that is the 19th. It's on the 20th. 20th, thank you. And then there's also an event inland passes. They're having that for the first time. That is on the 19th. The Belton, they're gonna be having their first ever parade, that is on the 19th. And then the Colleen, they're gonna be having their rodeo. Correct me if wrong, that's gonna be on the 19th, but that's gonna be on that's at 7 o'clock. 7 o'clock. That's gonna be the last event on Juneteenth. I love that. I'm excited. So it's gonna be the main event. I'm calling it.

SPEAKER_05 34:45

Yes, and I use it on wear hats, but I'm gonna put on a cowboy hat for this. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 34:51

You guys can't see it, but you're actually wearing a cowboy.

SPEAKER_05 34:54

Yes, I'm really and this is uh the hooves, yes.

SPEAKER_06 34:58

Yes, and then I have my bracelet on.

SPEAKER_01 35:00

Yes, so I know outside of Bell County, one of the cities that I've always enjoyed their Juneteenth Waco, they're doing theirs, yes, and they always do it on a very big level.

SPEAKER_06 35:11

Yes, so they are supposed to be having uh guest entertainers, celebrities, the Jackson Five. And so theirs is on the 20th. Uh Saturday, like I said, we'll be traveling to Georgetown for theirs. And then I believe Austin or Huddle is having theirs on Sunday. One of them is having it on Sunday. We went there last year as well to uh support their Juneteenth festivities, and then Round Rock has a huge uh Juneteenth festival as well. So if I could, just as we're closing up, I know that I talked about what Juneteenth means to me, but I'd like to share what Juneteenth means to my daughter, who is now 10 years old. But at the time when she did this, she was seven years old. And so she put this little book together. If if I could, of course. Absolutely. So she said what Juneteenth means to me. Black people are free. No more sadness, but love and unity. People come together and have fun in Galveston. The end. And so I thought that that was truly amazing to see it from a young person's perspective and eyes, what Juneteenth, you know, means to them. Because of course, we're we're taking them with us, we're sharing this with them, you know. She's seen Opalie, you know, she understands the significance of her, you know, what Miss Opalie has done for for us, you know, here in the state of Texas. So I just wanted to share that significance of what that means from a seven-year-old's eyes of hearing and seeing the historical context of Duntee.

SPEAKER_02 37:03

I like that. I like that you get the youth involved in a lot of this stuff.

SPEAKER_06 37:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 37:08

And she's also now the president of the city.

SPEAKER_06 37:10

She is the she's the president of the Kleene Youth Council and she's the treasurer of the Texas State Conference NAACP. Amazing. Yes. And so we actually have three former youth council, well, two former youth council presidents and then her who serve on the state level of the NACP. So we're we're trying to, of course, you know, raise them up as upcoming leaders because we're definitely looking forward, looking to you all to carry this torch, continue to carry this torch on for years to come. Years to come. Amazing.

SPEAKER_01 37:53

I believe my final remarks will just be that when it comes down to Juneteenth, it's not a black holiday. It is an American holiday. And when we celebrate this holiday, it's not to celebrate the struggle and what was going on. This is a day of remembrance. And I believe it should have the same respect it has for Memorial Day, 4th of July, and so many other holidays that we have federally that are looked at as remembrance. Not many people will know that Juneteenth is the 161st birthday, but yet we look at the 4th of July and there's already advertisements for the 250th.

SPEAKER_06 38:34

And it's important for us, I'm going to interrupt you too. I always share it's important for us to embrace history, period, regardless of what it is. Embrace each other's history. You may not like it, you may not agree with that, but it's important for us as Americans, you know, as you know, just human beings in general, to embrace each other's cultural differences, you know, and to be able to live together in unity, peace, and love, you know. And God said, You ain't gotta like me, but you gotta love me. You know, he's commanded us to do that. And so it's it's very important. And I say that now more than ever because of the climate of what is going on in the world. And so it's holidays such as this, Juneteenth, that, you know, remind us of that, you know, as well as the 4th of July, as well as Labor Day and any other holidays, you know. So definitely. But thank you for that.

SPEAKER_01 39:40

So, and the last thing I was just gonna say, going back to the young group, what will we really learn? I'm not gonna get too far into education, but what will we can what will we really learn if history stays black and white? I'm gonna just leave it at that. So, with that being said, my name is Dalen Che. This is Insight Clead Podcast brought to you by KDH News. I have a Mita Botchway. Our guest was Sunika Moultrie, and Kevin was the producer. And I hope you have a good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, and we'll see y'all in the next one.