My family and I have always celebrated Juneteenth! Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of Black citizens throughout all of the United States. This historic day is important to us all.

Growing up, I remember my grandparents and my great grandmother talking about civil rights marches and everything they had to endure just to work towards equal rights. I remember them sharing stories about my ancestors who were actually in Texas at the time of the announcement. It gives me chills to think about what that moment must have been like, but more importantly, what that meant for Black individuals from that day forward.

As a small child, my family would celebrate with other Black families, White families, and other families of color by having a cookout or some type celebration to commemorate Juneteenth. It was extremely necessary for me to learn about the importance of Juneteenth as a child, because I was able to grow up with a strong love for my culture, a deep admiration of my heritage, and what it truly meant to be Black in America.

Here at StepUp, we continue to make conscious efforts to educate our StepUp children and young adults about Black History and the importance of Juneteenth. I read the book, Juneteenth For Mazie, by Floyd Cooper EVERY year to my own children and we read it this past week to all of our amazing StepUp children!

Celebrate Juneteenth today with children, adults, and people of all backgrounds. We cannot abdicate from our responsibility to teach and educate each other about our true history. History is history for us all. Happy Juneteenth! It truly is a holiday to be celebrated!”

- Colisha C Stanford, Director of Children and Young Adult Programs

We’ve compiled a variety of resources to educate about the history and celebrate the significance of Juneteenth. Check them out here:

Online Resources

Digital resources to celebrate and teach Juneteenth

Juneteenth history and links to other resources

A Brief History of Juneteenth: Including Resources for Teachers and Home School Parents

History of Juneteenth and links to lesson plans for teachers and parents

Teaching Juneteenth by Learning for Justice

Juneteenth resource that acknowledges history and empowers change

17 Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth

Includes books to read, videos to watch, and learning plans

Atlanta History Center Juneteenth Commemoration 2021

Free, virtual programming honoring Juneteenth and recognizing “Black innovation, creativity, and activism.”

Books to read this Juneteenth

Penguin Random House Reading List

125 Black-owned Bookstores

Other books:

Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
Festivals of Freedom by Mitch Kachun
Closer to Freedom by Stephanie Camp
A Black Women’s History of the United States by Daina Berry and Kali Gross
Juneteenth For Mazie by Floyd Cooper
We All Belong: A Children’s Book About Diversity, Race, and Empathy by Natalie Goss and Alex Goss
All Different Now: Juneteenth, The First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson and E. B. Lewis
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Ducan Tonatiuh
It’s OK to be Different: A Children’s Picture Book about Diversity and Kindness by Sharon Purtill and Sujata Saha