The Oceans of Possibilities Summer Reading Challenge and events continue through July 30 at the Warsaw Community Public Library. Photo provided by WCPL.

By Melissa Chapman
Cataloging Supervisor

Juneteenth (short for June 19) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Tex., in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed.

The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the bill into law, making Juneteenth the 11th holiday recognized by the federal government.

Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas, a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoining. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future.

Today, while some celebrations take place among families in backyards where food is an important part, some bigger cities hold larger events, including parades and festivals with residents, local businesses and more.

Below are some titles Warsaw Community Public Library has in its collection if you want to learn more about Juneteenth.

Weaving together American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed’s “On Juneteenth” provides a historian’s view of the country’s long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the massive hardships that African-Americans have endured in the century since, from Reconstruction through Jim Crow and beyond.

“Celebrating Juneteenth” by Jody Jensen allows readers to discover the history behind the holiday and find ways to celebrate.

“Hidden Black History from Juneteenth to Redlining” by Amanda Jackson Green talks about black moments in history that shaped America, from the arrival of the first enslaved to the Freedom Summer of 1964, and read about efforts to reshape how black history is taught in schools in the 21st century.

“Miss Juneteenth” is a drama film about a former beauty queen and single mom who prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the “Miss Juneteenth” pageant.

“Ralph Ellison: An American Journey” is the first documentary on one of the most gifted and intellectually provocative authors of modern American literature. Ellison was a central figure in contemporary debates over art, politics, race and nationhood. It explores the ways one of the most important writers grappled with the question: “What does it mean to be an American?”