Today the library is closed in recognition of the Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19th.
President Joe Biden signed the bill making this the eleventh American federal holiday on June 17, 2021. Biden is the first to obtain legal observance for a new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designated in 1983 by President Reagan.
On this day in 1865 the enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas were informed by Union Troops that the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. Declaring “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are and henceforward shall be free”, the Emancipation Proclamation only declared free those slaves living in states not under Union control.
Lincoln’s motives for the Emancipation Proclamation are questioned in the movie, “Stamped From The Beginning”, a provocative documentary inspired by the bestselling book, “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” written by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. This film explores the history of racist ideas in America, taking you on a race journey from then to now and reveals why the toxicity of racism lingers. To learn more about the history of slavery in America, the national Juneteenth Freedom Day, and to help identify ways to stamp out racist thoughts in our daily lives, visit the library in-person or check out our free online resources.
#Juneteenth #FreedomDay #EndRacistThoughts #UniteThePeople #StampedFromTheBeginningMovie