After being signed into law by the Biden administration last year, this year’s Juneteenth marks the first year that the holiday’s been federally observed.
On Monday, June 20, all federal, state and local offices, as well as banks, post offices and other institutions, will be closing their doors in honor of the holiday.
While the holiday was recently declared a federal holiday, Juneteenth has been celebrated since 1866. Through food, singing, dancing and the reading of spirituals, Juneteenth commemorates the end of enslavement in the U.S. and marks the day that, in 1865, the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned that they were free- two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
To learn more about the holiday as it nears, here are five books to read.
- Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America: Released by professor and director of the Center of Antiracist Research at Boston University, Ibram X. Kendi, in 2016, “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America” is about the history of racism. Throughout his book, Kendi dispels the belief that equality has been achieved in the U.S. by tracking the timeline of how racist ideology was created and spread throughout the country’s history. With help from writings by figures like W.E.B. Du Bois and Angela Davis, Kendi breaks down what it means to be racist to help people learn how to expose racist ideas. Upon its release, the book received positive reviews, making the New York Times’ Bestseller list and winning a National Book Award.
- Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow: Written by historian and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., “Stony the Road” starts with the period following the Emancipation Proclamation, known as Reconstruction, and focuses on the life of Black Americans through to the Harlem Renaissance in the early 20th century. Released in 2019, Gates uses the eras to analyze how the complete civil rights of Black Americans were denied and how that shaped the Black community’s view of the country to this day.
- On Juneteenth: Published by historian and Pulitzer Prize winner, Annette Gordon-Reed, in 2021, “On Juneteenth” covers the history of Juneteenth. Using both an analysis of historical facts and personal stories, Gordon-Reed traces the events leading up to Juneteenth, its roots in Texas and the history of Black Americans since the first celebration of Juneteenth. As a Texan herself, Gordon-Reed’s focus revolves mainly around not only telling Juneteenth’s history in her home state, but also how Black Americans have helped shape Texas’ history overall. For her work, Gordon-Reed’s “On Juneteenth” received a place on the New York Times Bestseller list and the Best Books of the Year lists from Time, NPR and Oprah Daily amongst others.
- All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom: Written by author and three-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, Angela Johnson, and illustrated by E.B. Lewis, “All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom” is a children’s book that tells the story of Juneteenth. Told through the perspective of a little girl, the book provides a retelling of the day in 1865 that’s now celebrated as Juneteenth and the emotions that ran throughout the enslaved people that were now declared as freed.
- Opal Lee and What It Means to be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth: Recently released this year by librarian and author, Alice Faye Duncan, and illustrator Keturah A. Bobo, “Opal Lee and What It Means to be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth” is a children’s book about Opal Lee, a Black activist who championed the declaration of Juneteenth as a national holiday. The story follows Lee and her story as a resident of Texas, discussing personal anecdotes of Lee’s life such as when a mob destroyed her home when she was 12. The book also covers overall themes of equality, freedom and perseverance.
