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"Juneteenth (June + nineteenth), also termed Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day is the observance of June 19, 1865 — the day that enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas learned that they were free. This now official U.S. federal holiday has a rich, deep history. " - Tonya Abari

This is a special day! It is about recognition, restoration and celebration. Take time to celebrate with your children by reading one of these books, recommended by the awesome Tonya Abari and :

💜Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper

💙The Juneteenth Story by Alliah L. Agostini (Author) and Sawyer Cloud (Illustrator)

💛Opal Lee And What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan (Author) and Ketura A. Bobo (Illustrator)

🧡Juneteenth Jamboree by Carol Boston Weatherford (Author) and Yvonne Buchanan (Illustrator)

❤️All Different Now: Juneteenth, The First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson (Author) and E.B. Lewis (Illustrator)

💚Free at Last: A Juneteenth Poem by Sojourner Kincaid Rolle (Author) and Alex Bostic (Illustrator)

📚The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole-Hannah Jones and Renée Watson (Authors) and Nikkolas Smith (Illustrator)



Juneteenth is a federal holiday that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved African American people in the United States. Additionally, Juneteenth is a day to reflect on the atrocities and inequalities that African Americans have faced throughout history and in the present day. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the new law was not widely enforced throughout the entire United States. In Texas, it took two and a half years for many enslaved people to learn they had been freed. On June 19, 1865, Union Army General Gordon Granger and his federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas. He told the enslaved people that they were now free, and he shared the news that the Civil War was over. It is a day of celebration and hope. And, it is also a day to pay honor and respect to the many people who suffered greatly under slavery.