The Free Library is celebrating Juneteenth!

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of enslavement in the United States and a time when we come together to celebrate this monumental occasion across the country, within our cities, and with our local communities.

On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned from Major General Gordon Granger and Union soldiers that the Civil War had ended and that they were now free, nearly two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is a combination of “June” and “nineteenth,” the date that commemorates this significant day of freedom.

Join the Free Library’s events and activities celebrating Juneteenth this year:

• Attend a Juneteenth Legacy event. At Haddington Library, work with artist Jihan Thomas to make your own flag celebrating Juneteenth. Discover the story of Juneteenth during a talk by Kalela Williams at Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library.
• Middle and high school students can make a craft at Frankford Library.
• Logan Library will have a Juneteenth Storytelling Program where Mama Carla Wiley, a storyteller and member of Keepers of the Culture, will bring her storytelling program live to the library.
• Attend a Juneteenth Celebration at David Cohen Ogontz Library with lots of family friendly activities.
• Celebrate Juneteenth in Cecil B. Moore Library’s courtyard with music, food, and activities for all ages.
• At Kingsessing Library, join an interactive discussion to explore the history that led to the creation of the Juneteenth celebration, the relationship of the holiday with Black liberatory theory, and the way it has been co-opted in recent years.
• For Juneteenth Movie Day with LEAP, watch an Afrocentric movie at Haddington Library that is part music film and part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture, and fashion.

To find more details and information about these events, visit the Free Library’s online events calendar.

Continue your celebration of Juneteenth by browsing Juneteenth titles in our catalog. You can also check out our blog which has articles on children’s books celebrating Juneteenth, why Juneteenth matters, Juneteenth as a celebration of freedom and cuisine, more information on the history of Juneteenth, and the importance of Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday.

Let the Juneteenth festivities begin!