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Vibrant Art and First-Person Story for Teaching about Juneteenth

“Jubilee” by Sonia Sadler. Used with permission from Inez Sadler.

“Jubilee” by Sonia Sadler. Used with permission from Inez Sadler.

Friday, June 18, 2021

Juneteenth Is a Federal Holiday! With the legislation now signed by the president, we have long-overdue national recognition of the day in June 1865 when enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free. The Change Agent has a wonderful, original story, written by Inez Sadler, the great-great-granddaughter of an enslaved Texan who remembers when she and her family finally got the news that slavery had officially ended. The story, available in beginnerintermediate, and advanced versions, includes vibrant art depicting the original Juneteenth and later Juneteenth celebrations. The paintings were created by the author’s daughter, Sonia Sadler.

Issue 41 CoverOur “Celebrating Freedom on Juneteenth” is just one of many FREE lesson packets available at The Change Agent. And while we’re all about celebrating, we also remember that the struggle for freedom is ongoing — including the fight for voting rights, which shamefully continues to this day. Our “Race and Voting Rights” lesson packet is available in intermediate and advanced levels. And there are many other materials on our website for teaching about race, such as this lesson packet called “Facing Race” and our “Talking about Race” issue, available for free from our top page.

There are many more materials (for example, back issues on Indigenous Peoples, the Pandemic, Good Jobs, Health, Fashion, Hair, and Transportation) for teaching about race and much more, but you need a subscription to access them. It’s not expensive! Just $30 per teacher per year, and teachers can share their access with all their students.

Please subscribe if you can! The Change Agent needs your support.

In addition to editing The Change Agent, I also provide professional development all around the U.S. on how to use this socially relevant content to teach standards-aligned reading and writing skills, as well as digital literacy and critical thinking. Got questions about any of this? Contact me. And remember to visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube!

Wishing you an easy end to your fiscal year!

Cynthia Peters, Editor


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