by Emily B.

Two years, five months, and seventeen days. That’s how long it took for President Lincoln’s Executive Order 95 to reach the last group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. Lincoln’s executive order, better known as the Emancipation Proclamation, declared freedom for all enslaved people in confederate states. Most slave owners chose not to inform their slaves of their freedom. But on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger finally brought the message of freedom to Galveston. Juneteenth celebrations spread quickly throughout the South and persisted through hardships like the Great Depression and Jim Crow laws, finally being recognized as federal holiday in 2021.

Clint Smith visited Galveston to examine the history and celebration of Juneteenth in his book How the Word is Passed. Each chapter sees Smith explore different historic sites with significant slavery ties like Angola Prison, Whitney Plantation, and Gorée Island in Senegal. Do these sites distort the past in an effort to diminish the pain of enslaved people? Or do they educate and atone?

Throughout his journey, Smith ponders how differently the US might look if all Americans could reckon with the atrocities of slavery and the legacy left in its wake. It might be difficult and uncomfortable for some to read about the violence and suffering that enslaved people were forced to endure, but it’s a component of American history that cannot be ignored.

Part of what makes How the Word is Passed so wonderful is Smith’s approach to the project. During his travels, he interacts with tour guides, locals, and tourists to learn their perspectives and reflections. During his Monticello visit he meets two older women who were shocked to learn that Thomas Jefferson was a slaveowner. “It just took his shine off,” one woman remarked. “He might’ve done great things, but boy did he have a big flaw.”

Smith, a poet and a former high school English teacher in Prince George’s County, wrote this book with his students in mind and it shows. Smith’s prose is incredibly informative and impactful as he interrogates American history. I hope that one day soon this will be required reading.

The Word is Passed by Clint Smith is available in print, e-book, e-audiobook, and audiobook on CD.

TONIGHT: Songs of Freedom: Journey Along the Underground Railroad
For everyone.
Wed, Jun 18 | 7 – 8:30 pm
Carroll Baldwin Hall | 9035 Baltimore St, Savage
Harriet Tubman’s story comes alive through traditional code songs, modern melodies, and authentic narration. Journey along the Underground Railroad with historian Linda Harris as she chronicles her annual charity walks through the lens of local African American history.
Linda Harris is the Director of Events and Programming at the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge, MD. Learn more about Linda Harris and the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center at harriettubmanmuseumcenter.org
Registration is optional. Register to receive email reminders and updates about this class. Seating is first-come, first-served.
In partnership with Carroll Baldwin Hall