As we plan for our respective acknowledgments of Juneteeth, and our government confirms it as a national holiday, I have been thinking about how we each have been introduced to this part of our country's history, and the different ways that key events in Black history are communicated in our families and educational environments. Juneteenth falls on June 19th and celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, but it took years for many enslaved African-American people to begin to claim their freedom. June 19, 1865, is the day when more than 1,800 troops arrived in Texas to free the remaining enslaved people in the state. I encourage everyone to continue learning and sharing understandings of racism in the United States and how we work towards an anti-racist future, as well as to honor those who do.

To support more learning, following is a list of recommended resources from our board member, Dr. Rashid Muhammad.

• Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III Speaking About the Emancipation Proclamation - YouTube
• The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth - National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)
• What is Juneteenth? - National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)
• Juneteenth: A Celebration of Resilience; Juneteenth: Connecting the Historic to the Now - National Museum of African American History and Culture
• What is Juneteenth? - Juneteenth World Wide Celebration

Happy Juneteenth!

 

–Ann Marie White, Ed.D.
Executive Director