Juneteenth is our newest national holiday, and a bittersweet one at that. More than a day off, it invites Americans to reckon with our history of racism and the human suffering that helped build this country.
When Juneteenth rolls around, Ed Jenkins feels both a sense of triumph and somberness. On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Texas proclaiming that enslaved Black people there were free — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was supposed to end slavery in states that were in rebellion against the Union.
"Back then, it took so long before those people in Texas learned they were free," he said. "It took the U.S. Army to stop that illegal practice. So when I think about Juneteenth, it's with a mix of joy and sadness. The hope is that our joy will rise above the sadness."
Jenkins is a creator and performing artist from St. Paul who just launched his newest venture: a fictional PBS Kids mystery podcast that's set in north Minneapolis. Through "Keyshawn Solves It," young listeners (the podcast's intended audience is ages 5 to 9) learn about the meaning of Juneteenth.
But the plot is more Encyclopedia Brown than History Channel. The title character, 10-year-old Keyshawn, uses a set of keys created by one of his ancestors to solve a rash of bike disappearances in time for the North Side's Juneteenth bicycle parade. The final two installments of the eight-episode series drop next Monday to align with the holiday.
Like many Black Americans, Jenkins remembers partaking in Juneteenth festivities all his life, starting with community events growing up in his hometown of Racine, Wis. Yet many others may not be so familiar with the celebration, which became a national holiday in 2021, following outcry over the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. He figured the podcast could introduce Juneteenth to an audience that would include kids and parents alike.
Although Jenkins was brand new to podcasting, it was always a dream of his to collaborate with PBS Kids. A self-described "kid's guy," he's spent much of his professional career focused on children and families. A decade ago, he created "Lalo's Lunchbox," a live show and series of short videos that uses food to teach kids about doing good things for others. Most recently, he spent four years as the children's ministry director at Excelsior Covenant Church.
When PBS Kids put out a call for educational podcast pitches in 2021, Jenkins had no industry knowledge or connections. "I'm just a guy teaching Sunday school in a church basement," he recalled with a laugh.
