The Importance of Juneteenth!

Juneteenth is an important part of our country’s history. We were feeling like we needed a better understanding of the holiday and wanted to share these resources with you too.

What is Juneteenth?

In 1863, during the American Civil War, Pres. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared more than three million enslaved people living in the Confederate states to be free. More than two years would pass, however, before the news reached African Americans living in Texas. It was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that the state’s residents finally learned that slavery had been abolished. The former enslaved people immediately began to celebrate with prayer, feasting, song, and dance.

It took TWO YEARS for news to reach Texas. Take a moment to take that in.

Read the full article from Britannica here.

Further reading:

This is an older article (before it was a federal holiday) from Learning for Justice, but still valid and a good read.

Books:

Feminist Books for Kids curated a list of nine books to help kids (and adults!) learn about Juneteenth.

PBS kids gathered seven Juneteenth books to add to your home library.

The Juneteenth Story is a comprehensive book for elementary aged kids

What is Juneteenth? is a great early reader book for kids who read independently.

As caregivers, it’s important to keep learning, growing and educating ourselves so we are able to raise good humans who care about and value everyone!