Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. It is a celebration commemorating the day in 1865 when word of Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation — which had been signed two and a half years prior — finally made its way to Texas.
Funny thing about history - no matter how we teach it, no matter what we choose to highlight or ignore, no matter how we spin our nation’s story, the fact remains we can’t change the past, we can only learn from it. However, we often fail to understand the present because we refuse to tell the truth about our past. That’s why this year in particular, as our nation continues to struggle with racial injustice and deeply rooted prejudice, we must tell the truth about our past, ourselves, and our nation.
Toward that end, we offer a list of resources you can read or watch together as a family.