Observing Juneteenth
On Sunday, June 19th, our country will be observing Juneteenth. President Biden signed legislation last year making Juneteenth a federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the official ending of slavery in the United States. African Americans have been celebrating Juneteenth since the late 1800’s.
The New York Times published an article entitled Juneteenth: The history of a New Holiday written by Derrick Bryson Taylor. The article provides a brief guide about Juneteenth highlighting how it began, how it is celebrated, the path to the day becoming a national holiday and why it has become so important.
Please click on the link below for the article.
Below are some books that I found about Juneteenth. I hope you will join me in my continued journey to learn more about this important date in our history.
On Juneteenth – By Annette Gordon-Reed. This is a short book about the holiday and what it means for Texas
Festivals of Freedom: Memory and Meaning in African American Emancipation Celebrations by Mitch Kachun’s: a history of how freedom was celebrated across the United States and how those celebrations changed after the Civil War
Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery by Deborah Willis and Barbara Krauthamer: a visual history of how Black people experienced and celebrated Emancipation
The Well also had an article entitled “Celebrating Juneteenth and what it means.” Click on the link below for the article.
Best,
Alexandra Marchesano
Executive Director of the Carolina Union