Why Juneteenth?

This Juneteenth, we are taking a break to celebrate Freedom. Juneteenth refers to June 19, 1865, two years, five months and 18 days after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in the Confederacy. In Texas, slave owners didn’t listen, waiting for General Gordon Granger to lead an army to Galveston, proclaiming that all people who had been held as slaves were now free. The last of the slaves held in the United States were free that day.

            In preparation for this holiday, we read Opal Lee and What it Means To Be Free by Alice Faye Duncan to the children. This book describes the reasons for celebrating Juneteenth, in child-accessible language. It is a beautifully written and illustrated book, celebrating the life of Opal Lee who walked across the US to gather signatures to make Juneteenth a national holiday. She delivered that petition to Congress and in 2021, Juneteenth became an official national holiday. The refrain throughout the book, “Faith, hope, and joy divine! Juneteenth means it’s Freedom Time!” is such an important lesson for the children, as they come to understand that not everyone gets to experience freedom to the same degree.

            Lower Elementary also read Things Kids Should know About Juneteenth, an Educational Parade reference book, and The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United States by Alliah L Agostini.

            As we celebrate Juneteenth this week, let us celebrate Black joy, Black heroes like Opal Lee, Black authors like Alice Fay Duncan and Alliah L. Agostini. And white parents, let’s remember to reinforce to our children that we have a responsibility to stand up for people of color whenever injustice is happening, like General Gordon Granger.

For more resources about Juneteenth, see Mid Continent Public Library’s post here.

            Happy Juneteenth!