Ways for Your Class to Commemorate Juneteenth
Ask Students: Why did Juneteenth become a national holiday? How could your class commemorate Juneteenth?
Athenia Rodnye, founder of Juneteenth NYC, talks to PBS NewsHour Classroom about meaningful ways to celebrate.
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June 20, 2022
Ask Students: Why did Juneteenth become a national holiday? How could your class commemorate Juneteenth?
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This post was originally published in June 2022 and has been updated.
Juneteenth honors the day news arrived in Galveston, Texas (June 19, 1865), that the Emancipation Proclamation had been passed two years prior. The Civil War had ended in April of 1865 -- two months before enslaved people in Texas were made aware.
John Yang spoke with two organizers about Juneteenth’s meaning and the different ways people are still figuring out how best to mark the holiday.
For a transcript of the story, click here.
With this collection of Juneteenth teaching resources, you will find lesson plans, activities and other materials to help educate and engage students in learning about the Reconstruction era history and politics surrounding the Juneteenth holiday, and the role Black joy plays in celebrating this heritage.
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.