Kansas City Public Library To Commemorate Juneteenth

Press release from the Kansas City Public Library:

June 17, 2021

Juneteenth marks the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans following the end of the Civil War. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, delivering the news that the war, and slavery itself in the United States, had come to an end — two months after the surrender of Confederate forces, and nearly 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the South.

This milestone in America's history came to be known as Juneteenth — combining "June" and "Nineteenth" — and is observed annually, providing a chance for the nation to celebrate and explore the meaning of freedom, then and now. Just in time for 2021's Juneteenth, Congress passed long-discussed legislation making the date a federal holiday — the 12th in U.S. history. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on June 17.

In celebration of the new official holiday, the Library offers a number of book recommendations, films, and a special event that highlight the history of the Black experience in America.

This press release was produced by the Kansas City Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.