Learning About Juneteenth

On Sunday June 19th, we observe Juneteenth across the country. It is a holiday full of history, both celebratory and shadowed by slavery and racism. It marks the date in 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce freedom for all enslaved people in the state and is considered the effective end of slavery. The celebration spread outward from Texas and has become a chance to embrace Black culture, with food, music, prayer services, and more. Juneteenth was not officially recognized as a federal holiday until 2021, though it has been celebrated for far longer. If you'd like to take the time this Juneteenth to learn about the history behind it, explore this reading list of books (many for children) that share the story of the holiday. Click the links to request books through our catalog.

The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States, Alliah L. Agostini, illus. Sawyer Cloud

Juneteenth for Mazie, Floyd Cooper

Juneteenth, Lisa A. Crayton

Let's Celebrate Emancipation Day & Juneteenth, Barbara deRubertis

Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth, Alice Faye Duncan

Juneteenth: A Novel, Ralph Ellison

On Juneteenth, Annette Gordon-Reed

Juneteenth, Rachel Grack

Hidden Black History: From Juneteenth to Redlining, Amanda Jackson Green

What is Juneteenth?, Kirsti Jewel, illus. Manuel Guiterrez

All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom, Angela Johnson

Juneteenth, Denise M. Jordan