Many of you likely know that today is Juneteenth, the recognition of the ending of slavery in the U.S. We encourage you to take this opportunity to educate your children about the history of the holiday and celebrate with your family. We hope you find these resources helpful!
Book List
Books are a great way to introduce a new topic to kids, or to begin a family discussion. Here are just a few that cover the topic of Juneteenth. We encourage you to read these with your children and follow up with discussion about Juneteenth, perhaps including why it’s an important holiday and whether it should be made into a national holiday. This is a great summary of the history of the holiday to guide in your discussion.
Juneteenth Jamboree by Carole Boston Weatherford
Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper
The Story of Juneteenth: An Interactive History Adventure
by Steven Otfinoski
And here’s a video that explains the history of Juneteenth:
Create a Your Own Juneteenth Celebration
Juneteenth is commonly celebrated with picnics, rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, and blues festivals. While physical-distancing will limit us this year, a family picnic with traditional Juneteenth food is a great way to take part. Check out this list of recipes to make your own delicious feast.
Decorate with a Juneteeth Flag
Create your own flag using fabric, construction paper and decorate your windows or yard. You can even get the whole neighborhood involved in decorating!
Attend a Virtual Celebration
Indyschild.com has a great list of virtual celebration events happening today.
Let us know how you chose to learn about and celebrate Juneteenth this year! Tag us #RASathome on your social media pages.