June 19th commemorates the emancipation of African American slaves in Texas. “Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, slavery will continue in Texas, until General Gordon Granger arrives in Galveston with Union forces, announcing that all slaves in Texas are free. One third of the people in Texas are slaves. Juneteenth will be celebrated annually with picnics and barbecues at public emancipation grounds, some of which will be used past year 2000. Juneteenth will become a legal Texas state holiday in 1980.” (Munirah Chronicle)
A few books that talk about Juneteenth are:
Weatherford, Carole Boston. Juneteenth jamboree
Ellison, Ralph. Juneteenth: A Novel
Web resources are:
juneteenth World Wide Celebration: http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
Juneteenth Texas State Historical Association: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lkj0
Trending Juneteenth Library of Congress blog: http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2013/06/trending-juneteenth/
Juneteenth Celebration: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/es/tx/es_tx_june_1.html
Celebrate Juneteenth!: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/celebrate-juneteenth-20547.html
Celebrate freedom!
The CamaraIfe Maktaba 