Juneteenth became a federal holiday in June 2021 but had long been celebrated by African American communities for decades. It commemorates the day June 19, 1965, that Union soldiers landed in Galveston, Texas with the news the war was over and slaves were free. To honor this holiday, we’ve gathered a list of the Juneteenth books available in the collection.
Resources:
Nix, Elizabeth. (2017). “What is Juneteenth?” History.com https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2022). Juneteenth. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Juneteenth
DB 105650 Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper
Little Mazie wants the freedom to stay up late, but her father explains what freedom really means in the story of Juneteenth, and how her ancestors celebrated their true freedom. Commercial audiobook. For grades K-3. 2015.
DB 50524 Osceola: memories of a sharecropper’s daughter by Osceola Mays
A woman in her nineties recounts experiences from her East Texas childhood in the early twentieth century. She recalls her fear of white people, her grandmother's stories about slavery, and how her family celebrated Juneteenth--the day the slaves in Texas were told about their freedom. For grades 3-6. 2000.
DBC04831 Freedom’s gifts: a Juneteenth story by Valerie Wilson Wesley
When a girl from New York visits her cousin in Texas in 1943, she learns the origin of Juneteenth, a holiday marking the day in 1865 that Texan slaves realized they were free. Aunt Marshall, who was a child during slavery, tells stories to the little girls of what she remembers. For grades 3-6.
DBC10089 Juneteenth by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Learn about how freedom came to the slaves in June, 1865. Join in the celebration of this holiday that honors the freedom of all people. 2006. For grades 2-4.