Anaja Campbell, right, and the Denver Dancing Diamonds perform during a Juneteenth celebration parade in Denver on June 20, 2015. Joe Amon / Denver Post via Getty Images file
Juneteenth is the oldest national celebration commemorating the ending of slavery 155 years ago today in the United States. Juneteenth serves as a reminder that “nobody is free until everybody is free.” Juneteenth should be a nationally observed holiday but it is not recognized as an official federal holiday (yet!) and it is not widely taught and discussed in the public education curriculum.
By being an ally we need to educate ourselves and amplify the voices of our Black family. We’re sharing a few of the following recourses that have helped us to understand more about Juneteenth, how to teach our kids about it, and why it should be celebrated as a national holiday.
A few articles & resources:
What to know about the holiday
Teaching about Juneteenth to our kids
Haile Thomas’ article on Food and Wine