AFC South

Former Texans safety Michael Thomas teaches NFL fans about Juneteenth

Former Texans safety Michael Thomas grew up in Houston, just 60 miles northwest of Galveston where a Union army general proclaimed freedom from slavery in Texas in 1865, but he admits he still had a lot to learn about Juneteenth.
As part of the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative, Thomas went to Galveston and helped create a video tour through Galveston’s historic sites to educate the public on Juneteenth.
NEW TRADITION?: Jermall Charlo hopes this is first of many Juneteenth fights
In the four-minute video (WATCH HERE), Thomas interviews local historians at several Galveston landmarks related to Juneteenth.
Among the sites in the video are locations where General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 that informed everyone the slaves were free, including the Union headquarters known as the Osterman Building and Reedy Chapel, Galveston’s Black church. The video also takes viewers to Ashton Villa, home of annual Juneteenth celebrations and a statue that commemorates the event.
“Today I learned so much about Juneteenth that wasn’t taught in those Texas History lessons that I took even growing up in Houston learning about the historical monuments,” Thomas says in the video. “This is exactly where they spoke. It’s definitely important for us to teach our youth this part of history, not just Black history, but because it’s American history.”
The 31-year-old Thomas went to Nimitz…