The Transatlantic Agency invites you to celebrate Juneteenth with us, observed today in honor of the historically momentous day of June 19, 1865 in the United States, when around 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas to announce that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state, were free by executive decree. Although the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in 1863, it wasn’t until this day, which some have called “our country’s second independence day,” that all were truly set free, reminding us “the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times.” (From “The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth. The National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian)
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
-Frederick Douglass
In honor of Juneteenth, we’d like to invite you to a day of reflection and to share a list of recommended reading, curated by the National Museum of African American History and Culture: https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/museum-store/juneteenth-reading-list.