Juneteenth reminds us of Black Americans’ long struggle for education following end of slavery

By: Rodney Coates

Outlets: Colorado Newsline

Published: June 19, 2026

Words: 1,062

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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This commentary was originally published by The Conversation.

The abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass is known for many things, but perhaps among the most significant is his views on education’s relationship to slavery. Douglass himself was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818.

Douglass described in his 1845 autobiography how one of his enslavers, Mrs. Auld, began teaching him to read when he was a child. Mrs. Auld’s husband ordered …

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