Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, and marks the day, June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger and his Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform 200,000 Texan slaves of their freedom and the end of the Civil War. General Granger’s announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued more than two and a half years earlier on Jan. 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln. On June 15, 2021, Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday by a unanimous senate vote.
While the holiday has been celebrated by African-Americans since the late 1800s, it is important for everyone to take the time to observe the commemoration not just with celebration, but also self-reflection, education, and allyship. Our allyship and support towards the black community must continue. In the spirit of celebrating everyone’s freedom, Red Door's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee has refreshed its list of resources about Juneteenth, as well as ideas for how to celebrate it.
Events
San Diego
Juneteenth in Balboa Park 2021
Denver
Virtual
The Atlanta History Center Juneteenth Celebration
The Civic Season: The first Civic Season is about expanding the lens, making space for more stories from the past, more voices from the present, and more input on what an annual tradition for civic participation could look like. In this website you can find a range of in-person/virtual events to attend all over the country or from the comfort of your home.
#BLKFREEDOM Juneteenth On this June 15th, 10 leading Black museums and historical institutions from coast to coast will join forces for BLKFREEDOM.org to commemorate Juneteenth
Why Juneteenth? Remembrance and Reflection The Center for Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois will be hosting a panel discussion that addresses the big questions around Juneteenth.
Educational Resources
Articles
Why Celebrating Juneteenth is More Important Now than Ever
All but Four US States Celebrate Juneteenth as a Holiday
Juneteenth: The 155-Year-Old Holiday’s History Explained
The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth
Juneteenth: Education is Freedom
Juneteenth: An American Holiday
Videos
This Is Why Juneteenth Is Important for America
The History of the Juneteenth Celebration in Denver’s Five Points Neighborhood
What is Juneteenth? Explained for Kids
Podcasts
Today Explained: Happy Juneteenth
Ways To Celebrate Juneteenth
Support local Black-owned restaurants
San Diego Black-Owned Restaurants
Denver Black-Owned Restaurants
The Best Foods to Celebrate Juneteenth
Watch a TV show or movie
Movies to Further Your Education on Black History List
Movies to Further Your Education on Racism and Protest List
Netflix’s Black Lives Matter Category List
Hulu’s Black Lives Matter Category List
Consume art and music created by Black artists
https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/black-artists-on-instagram-47524428
https://www.etsy.com/market/black_artists
https://nmaam.org/tag/black-music-month/
Expand your knowledge
Listen to a podcast
1619 by the New York Times
About Race
Code Switch by NPR
The Diversity Gap
Intersectionality Matters! Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw
Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
Pod Save the People by Crooked Media
Read a book (if you buy, consider supporting a Black-owned bookstore)
Non- Fiction:
Barracoon: The Story of the Last Black Cargo by Zora Neale Hurston
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt
Raising White Kids by Jennifer Harvey
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America’s Law Enforcement by Matthew Horace and Ron Harris
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, And A New Era In America’s Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery
Hood Feminism: Notes From The Women That The Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks
Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People by Ben Crump
From Slavery To Freedom: A History of African Americans by John Hope Franklin
The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement Is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and William Barber II
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap by Mahrsa Baradan
How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide by Crystal Marie Fleming
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Channing Brown
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Fiction based on real-world issues:
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Passing by Nella Larsen
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Best-selling stories to help younger kids:
The Colors of Us by Karen Katz
Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester
The Skin I’m In: A First Look at Racism by Pat Thomas
Sesame Street’s “We’re Different, We’re the Same” by Bobbi Jane Kates
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard
I Am Enough by Grace Byers
Happy in Our Skin by Fran Manushkin and Lauren Tobia
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford and Ekua Holmes
Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America by Jennifer Harvey
Daddy Why Am I Brown?: A healthy conversation about skin color and family. by Bedford F. Palmer
A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret Holmes
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
Books for teens:
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work by Tiffany Jewell and Aurelia Durand
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Dear White People by Justin Simien
Help your family learn about racial equity
Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current Events
National Museum of African American History & Culture - Talking About Race
Tips and Strategies: Talking to White Kids about Race and Racism
Children Community School: Social Justice Resources
Learn about organizations doing work surrounding racial equity and justice
Antiracist Research & Policy Center
The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights
Support Black-Owned Businesses
15 Essential Black-Owned Restaurants You Should Know in San Diego
42 Black-Owned Businesses in San Diego to Support
Colorado Black-Owned Restaurants & Shops
Get Involved
North County African American Women's Association- San Diego
Showing Up for Racial Justice – Denver
We hope this list of resources will be helpful in enhancing your knowledge about Juneteenth, and in helping you celebrate Juneteenth in a meaningful way.
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, Red Door Interactive