Join us at the Downtown Gazebo on Wednesday, June 19th from 11am-1pm for a Juneteenth Celebration! There will be speakers, food from D’s Dogs, Nothing Bunt Cakes, and music. This event is presented by The Cultural Competency Group of Lancaster, made up of Destination Downtown Lancaster, Fairfield County Heritage Association, the DEIB Committee of Lancaster Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, the Fairfield County District Library, the Black Interest Group, and Lancaster City Community Development.
Juneteenth Reads for Children
Juneteenth Is
by Natasha Tripplett, illustrated by Daniel J. O’Brien
This book is an ode to the history of the Black community in the United States, a tribute to Black joy, and a portrait of familial love.
Free At Last: a Juneteenth Poemby Sorjourner Kincaid Rolle, illustrated by Alex Bostic
A deeply emotional poem that traces the solemnity and celebration of Juneteenth from its 1865 origins to contemporary observances all over the United States.
The Juneteenth Story: Celebrating the End of Slavery in the United StatesBy Alliah L. Agostini, illustrated by Sawyer Cloud
Juneteenth marks the day enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free…a secret that was kept for 900 days! Explore the events leading up to the first Juneteenth and what helped this become an American celebration.
All Good in the Hoodby Dwayne Reed, illustrated by Gladys Jose
A bouncy, rhythmic story, set against the backdrop of a Juneteenth celebration, about a young boy who’s afraid of the sounds in the city, but is comforted by his older brother, who tells him not to worry: “It’s all good in the hood.”
The Juneteenth Cookbook: Recipes and Activities for Kids and Families to Celebrateby Alliah L. Agostini, with Cheff Taffy Elrod, illustrated by Gladys Jose
This title introduces the history of Juneteenth to kids through vibrant recipes, activities, and games drawn from Black American cultural traditions.
What is Juneteenth?by Kristi Jewel, illustrated by Manual Guiterrez
Part of the popular “What is…?” series, this title shares the joyous celebration of freedom that would become the holiday Juneteenth, observed each year by more and more Americans.
Juneteenth Reads for Teens and Adults
Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow
by Henry Louis Gates Jr, with Tonya Bolden
In a stirring account of emancipation, the struggle for citizenship, national reunion, and the advent of racial segregation, the renowned Harvard scholar delivers a book that is illuminating and timely.
On Juneteenthby Annette Gordon-Reed
Weaving together American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Gordon-Reed provides a historian’s view of the nation’s long road to Juneteenth.
Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slaveryby Deborah Willis and Barbara Krauthamer
The authors present nearly 150 photographs—some never before published—from the antebellum days of the 1850s through the New Deal era of the 1930s, displaying the seismic impact of emancipation on African Americans born before and after the Proclamation.
Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebrationby Edward T. Cotham Jr.
Using decades of research in archives around the nation, this book helps separate myth from reality and tells the story behind the celebration in a way that provides new understanding and appreciation for the event.
Watermelon and Red Birds: a Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrationsby Nicole A. Taylor
In 1866, Juneteenth was celebrated with music, dance, and BBQs. Taylor bridges the traditional African American table and 21st century flavors with stories and recipes that will inspire parties to salute the holiday, or help you create moments to savor joy all year round.
Juneteenth: a Novelby Ralph Ellison
Shot on the Senate floor by a young black man, a dying racist senator summons an elderly black Baptist minister to his side for a remarkable dialogue that reveals the deeply buried secrets of their shared past and the tragedy that reunites them.