Juneteenth Learning Resources

This week, we pause to honor Juneteenth, a day of reflection, celebration, and continued commitment to justice.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all enslaved people were free—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. It marks the effective end of slavery in the United States and has become a powerful symbol of Black freedom and resilience.

Juneteenth reminds us that freedom is not a finish line. It is a responsibility. Even today we witness horrifying acts of hate, violence, and attacks on basic rights. This moment calls on all of us to listen, to learn from experiences different than our own, and to grow in empathy. The more we open ourselves to understanding, the stronger we become in standing against injustice and building a future rooted in dignity, safety, and true equality for everyone."
​
Documentary: Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom (PBS)
A black man is troubled by the legacy of American slavery and the misuse of Christianity to justify it. He travels throughout Texas and discovers how the Juneteenth holiday reveals a resilient hope that empowered the formerly enslaved and their descendants to fight for freedom in an often unjust society.

Movie Recommendations: 

• 13th (Netflix)
• Selma (Paramount +)
• 12 Years a Slave  (Paramount +)
• Miss Juneteenth (Netflix)
• Harriet (Hulu)

​
Book Recommendations:
On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
A blend of personal memoir and historical insight on the significance of Juneteenth from a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian.

Juneteenth by Ralph Ellison
A powerful, unfinished novel exploring race, memory, and identity through the bond between a Black preacher and a white senator.

How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith
A moving exploration of how America remembers (and misremembers) its history of slavery, told through visits to historic sites.

Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi & Keisha N. Blain
Ninety Black writers reflect on 400 years of African American history in short, accessible chapters.

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Chronicles the Great Migration of Black Americans from the South to the North and West in search of freedom.

The Amistad Rebellion by Marcus Rediker
This book tells the powerful story of the 1839 revolt aboard the Spanish slave ship Amistad from the perspective of the enslaved Africans who fought for their freedom. This compelling narrative traces their journey from Sierra Leone to Connecticut and the landmark legal battle that secured their emancipation, offering a fresh and vivid account of resilience and justice.