Lone Star College-Tomball recently took a group of students on a Juneteenth trip to Galveston to learn about historical African American sites and significant events related to Freedom Day.
Kevin Jones, a 50-year-old LSC-Tomball student, went on the trip to learn more about the history of our country and slavery.
“There is so much about slavery, racism, and the white ideology of supremacy that dates to the conception and birth of our country, which I simply did not know, or recall being taught. When I heard about the Juneteenth Trip, I knew I wanted to go.”
On the trip, students learned about the origin and purpose of Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, which is observed annually on June 19. Tour sites included the Juneteenth Freedom Walk, Absolute Equality Mural, Nia Cultural Center, a drive-by of the Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Ashton Villa’s exhibit And We Still Rise. Each stop offered attendees a moment to contemplate the struggles endured by African Americans and the road to emancipation.
“My favorite stop on the trip was the Absolute Equality mural,” said Jones. “The mural illustrates various prominent historical figures and symbols of African American cultural events, such as Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, and Union soldiers with their general arriving in Galveston to issue and enforce the order to abolish slavery in Texas. The mural was so gratifying.”
Dr. Patrick Gilbert and Dr. Virginia Haysley, the LSC-Tomball professors who organized and hosted the trip, are passionate about getting students out of the classroom and immersing them in real-world experiences. They began planning the Juneteenth trip two years ago as part of a greater vision for creating LSC-Tomball events and programs involving cultural impact that educate and inspire.
“Texas is a tapestry of diverse backgrounds that creates the story of who we are,” said Gilbert. “The Juneteenth Trip allowed students to connect what they learn in the classroom and textbooks with the real world. They got the opportunity to consider the history of our country, slavery, and its abolition deeply. The in-person experiences at these cultural and historical sites are monumental.”
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