A Speech for Juneteenth

 A Speech for Juneteenth

    "Carol, I haven't seen you since you were a baby," Uncle George said. "Now you're a young lady."

    Carol, who was ten years old, smiled. She'd heard about her uncle all her life, and her family had a great deal of admiration for him. Earlier that day, He had flown in to deliver a speech at the Juneteenth celebration later that afternoon. Carol was glad that the event would be held on such a glorious day with a lot of sunshine.

    The family all sat down together in the den. "What's your speech about?" Carol's mother asked.

    "I'm not sure yet," Uncle George answered. "Of course, I'll talk about how the slaves gained their independence." He stopped and thought for a moment. "What do you think I should say, Carol? What information have you learned about Juneteenth in school?"

    Carol blushed. She didn't think that her ideas would be very interesting to such an important person. "Well, we learned that families have picnics and celebrations on Juneteenth. We also learned that it's a special time for people of all races to work together to help society."

    Carol noticed that everyone was staring at her. Uncle George laughed and said, "You've just given me a better idea for my speech, Carol."