Florida Schools Celebrate Juneteenth for Reasons They Can’t Tell Children

By Patrick Reilly

(Editor’s note: this article is republished with permission from our sister paper in Jacksonville, The Florida Man Report)

JACKSONVILLE - This Sunday marked the second annual celebration of Juneteenth since it was made a federal holiday last year by President [REDACTED BY ORDER OF GOV. DE SANTIS]. But just what is Juneteenth? We here at the Florida Man Report are happy to explain, in a way that will not violate Governor Ron DeSantis’ educational directives.

Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when [REDACTED BY ORDER OF GOV. DE SANTIS]. Although President Lincoln [REDACTED BY ORDER OF GOV. DE SANTIS] two years earlier, it wasn’t until General Grant issued General Order Number 3 that [REDACTED BY ORDER OF GOV. DE SANTIS].

Since then, it has been widely observed by [REDACTED BY ORDER OF GOV. DE SANTIS]. Many attempts were made to have it recognized on a national level over the years, but were mostly prevented by [REDACTED BY ORDER OF GOV. DE SANTIS].

Although Juneteenth was made a federal holiday in 2021, several states including Florida have refused to add it to the list recognized holidays for government workers. When asked for comment Gov. DeSantis said, “In order to add an additional paid holiday for Florida’s government workers, we’d have to remove an existing one. I couldn’t justify removing, say, Confederate Memorial Day (Editor’s note: celebrated April 26), in favor of a potentially divisive or controversial holiday.”

Whether recognized by the state or not, expect to see plenty of large Juneteenth celebrations Sunday, some of which will be partnering with local Pride events, which of course commemorates [REDACTED BY ORDER OF GOV. DE SANTIS].