NEW IBERIA, La. — Though slavery technically ended with the 13th Amendment, not all enslaved individuals were freed immediately.
"Enslavers are really reticent to give up their human property, and so they hold on to their possession of Black people as long as they can," said Kodi Roberts, associate professor of history at LSU.
On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers rode into Texas, enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation years later. The day is now celebrated as Juneteenth.
The Shadows on the Teche Museum held a Faith and Freedom Symposium on Thursday. Kodi Roberts, the keynote speaker, said the holiday marks a moment in American history but also reflects how that history is still understood today.
"History is something that's not just written but constantly rewritten for the day," Roberts said. "It's not just about the time that it covers, it's about our time and the stories that we want to tell about ourselves and our aspirations for the future."
Roberts said coming together to commemorate and converse helps fight off a watered-down understanding of the country's history.
"I hope that they remember that what we learn about slavery is frequently a simplified version of that story, like a lot of our history, and that we have to actively engage with that history in order to really understand what it means, not only for the people who live that history, but for the people who are telling it," Roberts said.
