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Juneteenth 2022 Your Virtual Celebration Guide

A New Day Begun

The UConn Library is proud to join the State of Connecticut and the nation in recognizing Juneteenth, a holiday celebrated in African American communities for over 150 years. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, and on May 5, 2022, lawmakers in the State of Connecticut voted to make Juneteenth an official state holiday.

In this guide, you'll find recommendations for ways you can celebrate Juneteenth, honor the memories of those who endured conditions of enslavement, and support Black communities in Connecticut.

For questions about this guide or to suggest content, please contact:

June 19, 1865

Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and took effect in 1863, liberation from enslavement was not implemented in places under Confederate control until the passage of the 13th Amendment. Enslaved people in Confederate-controlled regions waited up to two more years for liberation.

"Freedom finally came on June 19th, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. This came to be known as "Juneteenth," by newly freed people in Texas." -- National Museum of African American History and Culture

Read more: UConn Historian, Dr. Manisha Sinha, on the history of Juneteenth

The Black National Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing", by J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson.

Ways to Celebrate

Share a Meal

Cooking together and sharing meals are an important part of any Juneteenth celebration. The UConn Library maintains a selection of print and eBooks on African American culinary history and foodways. This is an excellent place to start learning about the significance of Black culinary traditions in American society.

Online Resources:

Explore the history of barbeque with Black culinary historian, Michael Twitty, author of The Cooking Gene: A Journal through African American Culinary History in the Old South.

Support Black-Owned Businesses

In the years following emancipation, known as Reconstruction (1865-1877), newly freed people established self-sustaining communities. They built neighborhoods, founded churches and schools, and formed social clubs. They also began to accumulate economic power by becoming business owners. Celebrate and honor the resilience of the Black entrepreneurial spirit by supporting local Black-owned businesses. By doing so, you can challenge structural racism and support economic and social equity in your community.

To find local Black-owned businesses in your area, visit ShopBlackCT – CT’s Black-Owned Business Guide

Map of Black businesses in Connecticut from ShopBlackCT

Learn Something New

Set aside time and create the intention to learn about the histories of Juneteenth and Black people in America and Connecticut. There are many ways to learn -- books, articles, films, podcasts, heritage tours, and more.

Juneteenth & Emancipation Resource List

Books for Kids

Films

Black History in the U.S.

Books for Kids

Films

Black History in Connecticut

Films

Heritage Tours

We're Still Here, a collage by Elvin Choi, Mansfield Middle School, Grade 8

Be in Community

More than anything, Juneteenth is about being in community. Across the US and throughout the state of Connecticut, communities will gather during the month of June to honor the millions of enslaved children, women, and men. It is a day of memorial for those who died dreaming of liberation for themselves and future generations. It is a day of celebration for those who lived to see emancipation. It is a day of hope for Black communities still fighting for liberation.

Find Juneteenth & Black cultural events near you:

BLOOMFIELD / WINDSOR

BRIDEGPORT

DANBURY

DARIEN

EAST HARTFORD

ENFIELD

FARMINGTON

HAMDEN

HARTFORD

HEBRON

NEW BRITAIN

  • June 18: Juneteenth 2022 at New Britain Museum of American Art | 11am - 4pm

NEW HAVEN

NEW LONDON

NORWALK

MANSFIELD

MILFORD

OLD LYME

RIDGEFIELD

STAMFORD

WASHINGTON

WEST HARTFORD

WEST HAVEN

WINSTED

Created By
Stephanie Birch
Appreciate

Credits:

Photograph: Emancipation Day celebration, June 19, 1900 held in "East Woods" on East 24th Street in Austin. Credit: Austin History Center.