Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, and Jubilee Day, is an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, the last enslaved African Americans were informed of their freedom. The news finally arrived in Galveston, Texas more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, Juneteenth is observed around the country with festivals, celebrations, and parades to celebrate the end of slavery. The following book recommendations were selected to inform, honor, and celebrate this important day in our country’s history.
Kids
- “Juneteenth for Mazie” by Floyd Cooper
- “Juneteenth” by Rachel A. Koestler-Grack
- “Juneteenth” by Emily J. Dolbear
- “All Different Now” by Angela Johnson
- “Juneteenth Jamboree” by Carole Boston Weatherford
- “Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life” by Ashley Bryan
- “Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You” adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul
- “Come Juneteenth” by Ann Rinaldi
Adult
- “How the Word is Passed” by Clint Smith
- “Juneteenth: A Novel” by Ralph Ellison
- “Four Hundred Souls” by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
- “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed
- “From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century” by William A. Darity
- “She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman” by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
- “Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America” by W. Caleb McDaniel
- “We are Not Yet Equal” by Carol Anderson