Shake Up Your Celebrations: Juneteenth
Shake Up Your Celebrations is a campaign that highlights books featuring a variety of holidays, traditions, and celebrations. Many of these holidays are underrepresented in classroom and library programming, which often centers around Christmas and other Christian holidays.
About Juneteenth
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, the news of which finally reached Galveston, TX on June 19 1865 over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. It is often considered the longest-running African American holiday.
Texas made Junteenth an official holiday in 1979 and in 2021, artist Reginald C. Adams led a team in the creation of a mural entitled "Absolute Equality" in Galveston. President Joe Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2021, making Juneteenth an official Federal holiday.
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day, is often celebrated with barbecues, family gatherings, parades, and more with a large celebrations being held in many cities, including Galveston.
Celebrate With a Book!
A lyrical picture book about our newest national holiday, Juneteenth follows the annual celebration in Galveston, Texas—birthplace of Juneteenth—through the eyes of a boy coming to understand his place in Black American history in a story from three Texan creators.
A young Black child experiences the magic of the Juneteenth parade for the first time with their family as they come to understand the purpose of the party that happens every year—and why they celebrate their African American history!
The poetic text includes selected lyrics from “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the unofficial Black National Anthem, and the vibrant art illuminates the beauty of this moment of Black joy, celebrated across the nation. This vibrant adventure through the city streets invites young readers to make a joyful noise about freedom for all.