Fiction |

“June 19, 2865”

June 19, 2865

 

At sunrise across the U.S., parents woke their daughters and sons for the millennial anniversary of Juneteenth.

Air-crafts peppered the sky with a clear mandate: showcase the moment enslaved Americans learned of their freedom.

Working in unison, they shone a holographic image onto the sidewalks. And in an instant, depictions of federal troops lined the streets to spread news that Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered and the Emancipation Proclamation was the law of the land.

Children were well aware of this story since it was covered in extensive detail by their artificial intelligent teachers. However, they crowded by their windows all the same, cheering and hollering in the name of freedom.

Parents brought out steaming cups of hot chocolate and pastries and families filled their bellies as educational prompts were projected onto the streets.

For hours, they ate and spoke about Jim Crow laws, redlining and the Civil Rights Movement. Lynching was a reccurring theme as it plagued the 50 states well into the 2500s. Scholars were just a chat message away to offer clarity to some of the more violent topics.

As the sun began to set, the children with their moistened faces and melancholy demeanors grew tired. They washed and were sent to bed as the parents stood up and continued to recount the sins of the past, including how White society benefited from centuries of Black oppression.

For the promise to those slaves, and their descendants, was to never repeat their actions by never forgetting their pain.

Contributor
Patty Nicole Johnson

Patty Nicole Johnson is a corporate communications writer in Chicago. Through a lens of contemporary science fiction, she reimagines paths to a more equitable society.   Her work has appeared in New American Legends.

Posted in Fiction

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