Juneteenth
Juneteenth should be a national holiday. It is more than worthy of that recognition. It deserves a space on the calendar to commemorate freedom of ALL people in the United States of America, the land of the "free" and the brave. Or as many black people say, "free-ish". There is still a lot of work to be done.
But I am getting ahead of myself. Here is a brief summary of what Juneteenth is:
The word comes from the combination of June and Nineteenth, the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were finally told about their emancipation (that happened over two years before when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Abraham Lincoln). Check out this great video that explains the history of this oldest-known celebration of black freedom: Juneteenth.
Here are links to read-alouds of these picture books:
Juneteenth For Mazie
All Different Now
Lastly, this year Jemar Tisby / The Witness (a black Christian collective) is doing a special free digital celebration of Juneneeth: https://thewitnessbcc.com/ . Join in the learning about and celebrating this important piece of history!
But I am getting ahead of myself. Here is a brief summary of what Juneteenth is:
The word comes from the combination of June and Nineteenth, the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were finally told about their emancipation (that happened over two years before when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Abraham Lincoln). Check out this great video that explains the history of this oldest-known celebration of black freedom: Juneteenth.
Here are links to read-alouds of these picture books:
Juneteenth For Mazie
All Different Now
Lastly, this year Jemar Tisby / The Witness (a black Christian collective) is doing a special free digital celebration of Juneneeth: https://thewitnessbcc.com/ . Join in the learning about and celebrating this important piece of history!