As we celebrate July 4th, I’m also reminded of another day that many celebrate regarding freedom and our freedom in Texas to make decisions as parents for our children.
Gen. Granger read aloud the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865, in Galveston Texas, & issued orders declaring all slaves in Texas free.
Texas was the last state in the defeated Confederacy to hear the proclamation, yet was the 1st state to declare it a holiday in 1980 following the many local celebrations for almost a hundred years.
This holiday, now also celebrated as a national holiday, has a deep significance for many black Americans, as we would expect. According to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, celebrations began in 1866 and have continued for many years. “The celebration of June 19 as Emancipation Day spread from Texas to the neighboring states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. It also appeared in Alabama, Florida, and California as African American Texans migrated.”
“In many parts of Texas, freedmen and women purchased land, or ‘emancipation grounds,’ for Juneteenth gatherings.
Examples include Emancipation Park in Houston, purchased in 1872; what is now Booker T. Washington Park in Mexia; and Emancipation Park in Austin.”
For many years in the homeschool community, the number of black families was small; however, that changed dramatically during the pandemic as studies showed that homeschooling among black families increased by 4 times the rate among white families.
These families have often shared about the joy of the freedom to homeschool.
At the recent THSC High School Graduations, many noted the amazing diversity among the homeschool graduates. One observer commented this looks very much like Texas!
Everyone deserves freedom, and we rejoice with our black friends as they commemorate that historic day, and we also celebrate with the many black parents who are taking advantage of the freedom to teach their own children.
Make sure you are signed up for our email and text messages to be ready to take immediate action to protect the parents and families of Texas.
Please sign our petitions to support these measures and get updates as parental rights reforms move through the Texas Legislature.
Tim Lambert, THSC President
Tim Lambert, has been the president of the Texas Home School Coalition since 1990 and involved in homeschool leadership since 1984. He and his wife Lyndsay taught their four now-grown children at home for 16 years, graduating the last two in 2000. As the head of the organization for the leading home school state in the country, he is recognized as an authority on home education issues.
Tim has testified before numerous Texas legislative committees on issues related to homeschooling and often deals with state government agencies, including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. He has also addressed such conferences as the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers on the topic. He holds a B.A. in political science from Texas Tech University and is active in the political arena, serving eight years as Republican National Committeeman for Texas. Tim is committed to serving the homeschooling community and to protecting parents’ right to choose the method of education of their children.
As we celebrate July 4th, I’m also reminded of another day that many celebrate regarding freedom and our freedom in Texas to make decisions as parents for our children.
Gen. Granger read aloud the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865, in Galveston Texas, & issued orders declaring all slaves in Texas free.
Texas was the last state in the defeated Confederacy to hear the proclamation, yet was the 1st state to declare it a holiday in 1980 following the many local celebrations for almost a hundred years.
This holiday, now also celebrated as a national holiday, has a deep significance for many black Americans, as we would expect. According to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, celebrations began in 1866 and have continued for many years. “The celebration of June 19 as Emancipation Day spread from Texas to the neighboring states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. It also appeared in Alabama, Florida, and California as African American Texans migrated.”
“In many parts of Texas, freedmen and women purchased land, or ‘emancipation grounds,’ for Juneteenth gatherings.
Examples include Emancipation Park in Houston, purchased in 1872; what is now Booker T. Washington Park in Mexia; and Emancipation Park in Austin.”
For many years in the homeschool community, the number of black families was small; however, that changed dramatically during the pandemic as studies showed that homeschooling among black families increased by 4 times the rate among white families.
These families have often shared about the joy of the freedom to homeschool.
At the recent THSC High School Graduations, many noted the amazing diversity among the homeschool graduates. One observer commented this looks very much like Texas!
Everyone deserves freedom, and we rejoice with our black friends as they commemorate that historic day, and we also celebrate with the many black parents who are taking advantage of the freedom to teach their own children.
Make sure you are signed up for our email and text messages to be ready to take immediate action to protect the parents and families of Texas.
Please sign our petitions to support these measures and get updates as parental rights reforms move through the Texas Legislature.
Tim Lambert, THSC President
Tim Lambert, has been the president of the Texas Home School Coalition since 1990 and involved in homeschool leadership since 1984. He and his wife Lyndsay taught their four now-grown children at home for 16 years, graduating the last two in 2000. As the head of the organization for the leading home school state in the country, he is recognized as an authority on home education issues.
Tim has testified before numerous Texas legislative committees on issues related to homeschooling and often deals with state government agencies, including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. He has also addressed such conferences as the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers on the topic. He holds a B.A. in political science from Texas Tech University and is active in the political arena, serving eight years as Republican National Committeeman for Texas. Tim is committed to serving the homeschooling community and to protecting parents’ right to choose the method of education of their children.
