Juneteenth

It’s Juneteenth everyone! Today is the day we commemorate the emancipation of enslaved Black people within the United States. 

Although the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1st, 1863, it wasn’t implemented in places still under Confederate control. As mentioned by the Smithsonian and Congressional Research Service, many enslavers also withheld information regarding the Emancipation Proclamation from their enslaved people and kept them captive after the announcement. It wasn’t until the Thirteenth Amendment took effect on January 31st, 1865, when all enslaved Black people within Texas and other Confederate States were declared free by executive decree. 

June 19th, 1865, is the day when approximately 2,000 Union soldiers and Major General Gordon Granger – a distinguished U.S. army officer and Union general – marched to Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of slavery and the Civil War. This was the day when all enslaved Black people across the nation officially learned that they were finally free. 

Juneteenth is a federal holiday that celebrates African-American freedom. The legacy of this monumental event demonstrates the value of never losing hope in the quest for an equal and inclusive society. We can make this quest a reality by educating ourselves on the culture and history of Black people to better understand one another. Together we can make a better world where things like slavery and the Civil War never happen again. 

For those of you looking to learn more about Juneteenth and Black history, check out what the UWSP Libraries has to offer! With their many books, databases, and virtual resources, you’re sure to find something on the history of Juneteenth and its significance for Black people and our nation. More information can be found on the UWSP Libraries website. 

Looking for a book about Juneteenth and Black history? Try reading one of these stories: 

● On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed 

● What is Juneteenth? by Kirsti Jewel; illustrated by Manuel Guiterrez 

● Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain 

● The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein 

● Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen 

● The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones

post by Hannah Fenrick