History of Juneteenth

READ

A poem by Kristina Kay called “We Rose”

From Africa’s heart, we rose
Already a people, our faces ebon, our bodies lean,
We rose
Skills of art, life, beauty and family
Crushed by forces we knew nothing of, we rose
Survive we must, we did,
We rose
We rose to be you, we rose to be me,
Above everything expected, we rose
To become the knowledge we never knew,
We rose
Dream, we did
Act we must

“Juneteenth, Our Other Independence Day”, by Kenneth C. Davis for Smithsonian Magazine
“Why celebrating Juneteenth is more important now than ever” by P. R. Lockhart for Vox
“What is Juneteenth” by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. for PBS
“So You Want to Learn about Junetenth?” by Derrick Bryson Taylor for The New York Times
“Juneteenth Fact Sheet” by the Congressional Research Service
“Celebrating Juneteenth” by Erin Allen for the Library of Congress Blog
“The Story of Juneteenth” by Lynn Brown for JSTOR Daily

Watch

http://youtu.be/SKj9na4mlPU Presented by Dr. Shennette Garrett-Scott Wednesday, June 19, at the Allen Public Library. Her program traces the history of Junet...

Observing Juneteenth: The Long Arc of Justice A Conversation with The Rev. Dr. Gregory C. Ellison II Thursday, June 18, 2020, 10:00 a.m. EDT, Zoom Webinar Th...

Miss Juneteenth (2020), directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples
13th (2016), by Ava Duvernay

Listen

Today, Explained, “Happy Juneteenth!”
The truth about Juneteenth (12:48) June 19th is traditionally embraced as the day in 1863 when enslaved Africans in Texas learned they'd been freed. But historian Hari Jones, Assistant Director of the African-American Civil War Museum in Washington, D.C., says many are misinformed about the true significance of the holiday
The People Class Podcast, “The Quad: Juneteenth”
The Peas in the Podcast, “Merry Juneteenth!”

Celebrate

How do your local library and city programs honor Juneteenth? Is there a Juneteenth celebration in your community?
Brainstorm with your family, or congregation on how your community can honor Juneteenth.
Participate in a virtual weekend of action put on by the Movement for Black Lives.
Enjoy the new film Miss Juneteenth, available on Apple TV.