Learn About Juneteenth

Juneteenth, recognized annually on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and has been celebrated by African-Americans since the late 1800s. In Texas, Juneteenth has been an official holiday since 1979. In 2021, it was made a federal holiday. By 2019, 48 states including the District of Columbia recognized Juneteenth. By 2020, only Texas had adopted the holiday as a paid holiday for state employees. As of 2021, more states declared Juneteenth a paid holiday for state employees in Minnesota, Illinois, New York, Washington, and Virginia. 

The links below offer an entry point into the history of the holiday.

• What Is Juneteenth? –Delve into the history of the holiday with this article from Henry Louis Gates Jr.

• This Is Why Juneteenth Is Important for America – This video from the Root describes the birth of Juneteenth. 

• Celebrating Juneteeth - In this video, the founding director of the National Museum of African American History & Culture, Smithsonian leads a tour through a Juneteenth exhibition. 

• Black-ish Juneteenth Animated Short — This animated short created for ABC’s Black-ish is full of education and satire. 

Classroom Materials, Lessons & Activities for Instruction

• NMAAHC Kids: Understanding & Celebrating Juneteenth - The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture offers a PDF guide to understanding and celebrating Juneteenth for children. 

• Teaching Hard Hard History: American Slavery - No discussion or lesson on Juneteenth is complete without understanding slavery in the United States. Learning for Justice provides a framework and resources to develop a learning plan focused on the history of slavery in the U.S.

• Celebrate Juneteenth! - The Read, Write, Think website by the National Council of Teachers of English features a classroom activity where students use Venn diagrams to compare Juneteenth and the 4th of July.

• History of Juneteenth and why it became a national holiday - PBS offers a lesson for grades 6-12 that explores and discusses the history and context around the Juneteenth holiday in the United States, including the history of racial injustice in the US, the Civil War, and limitations of the Emancipation Proclamation.  

Recommended Books

Honor the day that Black Americans gained their freedom with these recommended titles to help students learn more about the history and traditions of Juneteenth. 

• • • Books for Students About Juneteenth - Honor the day that Black Americans gained their freedom with these Read Across America recommended titles to help students learn more about the history and traditions of Juneteenth. 

    • 10 Children’s Books Celebrating Juneteenth — From the Colours of Us, here are books about Juneteenth for kids ages five to 18. 

    • 10 Books to Celebrate Juneteenth No Matter Your Age - Black & Bookish shares a roundup of books for Juneteenth. 

     (Early) Elementary Grades

• • • DOE's Juneteenth Resources
      All levels

    • Juneteenth for Mazie Read Aloud
      Early elementary grade levels

    • PBS Learning - Juneteenth: All About the Holidays (VIDEO)
      Grades K-5

    • BrainPop - What is Juneteenth and why do we celebrate?
      Grades 3-8

    • We Are Teachers: Juneteenth Teaching Resources
      Grades K-8

     Middle School and Up

• • • Learning for Justice - Juneteenth Learning Plan
      (Free login required to view lessons) - Grade Level 6-8

    • Zinn Education Project - Juneteenth Emancipation Day
      (Free login required to download lessons) - Middle School and Up

For Educators

• • Annette Gordon-Reed, On Juneteenth

  • Edward Baptist, The Half Has Never Been Told

  • Randolph B. Campbell, An Empire for Slavery: The Peculiar Institution in Texas, 1821-1865

  • James Oakes: Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865

  • John Hope Franklin, From Slavery to Freedom

  • Ira Berlin, The Long Emancipation: The Demise of Slavery in the United States

  • Ira Berlin and others, Slaves No More: Three Essays on Emancipation and the Civil War

  • Edward T. Cotham, Jr., Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration 

  • Lerone Bennett, Jr., Before the Mayflower