by Samantha Totman
Monday, June 19 marks the third year that Juneteenth is officially recognized as a state holiday. But Juneteenth means much more than just another day off. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the news of the end of the Civil War reached Galveston, Texas, more than 2 years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation abolished slavery. Learn more about the history of Juneteenth and how it is celebrated below. You can also find your local Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony here.
Children’s Books
What is Juneteenth? by Kirsti Jewel
Book
Juneteenth by Lisa A. Crayton
Book
A Flag for Juneteenth by Kim Taylor
Book
Free at Last: A Juneteenth Poem by Sojourner Kincaid Rolle
Book
Opal Lee and What it Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan
Book | eBook | eAudiobook
Adult Books
On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
Book | eBook | eAudiobook
Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration by Edward T. Cotham, Jr.
Book | eBook
Island of Color: Where Juneteenth Started by Izola Ethel Fedford Collins
Book
Juneteenth: The History and Legacy of the Holiday that Commemorates the End of Slavery in the South by Charles River Editors
Book | eAudiobook
Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African-American Folklore, edited by Francis Edward Abernethy et al
Book
Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery by Deborah Willis and Barbara Krauthamer
Book
Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880 by W. E. B. Du Bois
Book
Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations by Nicole A. Taylor
Book
Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African-American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin
Book
Media
The History of Juneteenth by Juneteenth.com
Juneteenth YouTube Playlist by the National Museum of African American History & Culture
Historical Documents and Photos by the Texas State Historical Association
Interview on the History of Juneteenth with Annette Gordon-Reed by WBUR
Local Organizations & Programs
The North Shore Juneteenth Association
Find your local Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony here.
Juneteenth Festival at the Lynn Museum
Juneteenth Events in the Boston Area by Bostonusa.com
Many Boston area institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts and Old Sturbridge Village, as well as towns like Gloucester and Newburyport, are hosting Juneteenth celebrations. Check your local listings for more celebrations and information.