Celebrating Juneteenth

By Coll Rowe | June 4 2024 | GeneralEnglish Language ArtsHistoryAfrican American History

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the freedom of the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas. The newly freed Black Americans observed Juneteenth as a celebration of freedom and its fulfillment. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Jubilee Day, is marked by celebrations, family gatherings, picnics, and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation as a measure of progress against freedom.

As Juneteenth is an occasion for reflection and education, we celebrate the end of slavery in America and acknowledge the profound contributions of Black people to American history and culture. We are amplifying stories that highlight Black joy, not to disregard the realities of racism and injustice but to engage with the Black experience in America in a way that is full, balanced, and truthful.

Click on each collection below to browse books by Black creators that educate, empower, and inspire students in the classroom year-round.

HISTORY

FAMILY & CULTURE

FICTION

POETRY

SOCIAL JUSTICE

THE ARTS

FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION

PICTURE BOOKS

A Novel
9780593242100
An updated edition of the radiant, posthumous second novel by the visionary author of Invisible Man, featuring new material by Ralph Ellison's literary executor, John F. Callahan, and a revised introduction by National Book Award-winning author Charles Johnson.
$25.00 US
May 25, 2021
Hardcover
400 Pages
Modern Library

A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power
9780593329603
A landmark work of Black and Native American history that reconfigures our understanding of identity, race, and belonging and the inspiring ways marginalized people have pushed to redefine their world.
$18.00 US
Jun 06, 2023
Paperback
272 Pages
Riverhead Books

A Novel
9780593317334
The explosive, anticipated debut novel from the author of Friday Black, about two top women gladiators fighting for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own. 
$28.00 US
May 02, 2023
Hardcover
384 Pages
Pantheon

The Untold Story of Madeline Morgan and the Fight for Black History in Schools
9780807008249
The story of Madeline Morgan, the activist educator who brought Black history to one of the nation’s largest and most segregated school systems
$16.95 US
May 23, 2023
Paperback
224 Pages
Beacon Press

9780593461600
The #1 New York Times bestseller that sparked international dialogue is now a book for young adults! Based on the adult bestseller by Ibram X. Kendi, and co-authored by bestselling author Nic Stone, How to be a (Young) Antiracist will serve as a guide for teens seeking a way forward in acknowledging, identifying, and dismantling racism and injustice.
$19.99 US
Jan 31, 2023
Hardcover
208 Pages
Kokila


My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School
9780593486788
Follow the story of Carlotta Walls LaNier, who in 1957 at the age of fourteen was one of nine black students who integrated the all-white Little Rock Central High School and became known as the Little Rock Nine.
$9.99 US
Jan 16, 2024
Paperback
304 Pages
Yearling