Summary

In “Galveston Island,” Smith visits Galveston, “a small island that sits off the coast of Southeast Texas” for its Juneteenth program (173). Each year, Galveston hosts a celebration to commemorate the day enslaved Blacks learned of their freedom. On June 19, 1865, General Granger “issued the announcement . . . that all slaves were free” (175). Afterwards, word spread “from plantation to plantation” (175).

At the Juneteenth celebration, men and women reenact the historic day. Watching young people read “parts of history that placed our country in context,” Smith wonders how knowing such information as a young person would have liberated him “from a social and emotional paralysis” he previously could not articulate (178). Afterwards, he speaks with Kathy Tiernan and Doug Matthews, organizers of the program. They note the importance of the celebration to the entire community, underscoring its need to pursue change collectively. A speech given...