“The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.”—Mary McLeod Bethune
That sentiment from the great educator and activist, Mary McLeod Bethune and many others who promote the power of reading, is one of the reasons that the Black Children’s Books and Authors (BCBA) website was launched on June 19, 2015, Juneteenth Independence Day.
Juneteenth—also called Freedom Day—is a holiday that represents liberation, commemorating the day when the enslaved population of Galveston, TX received the long-delayed announcement that the Civil War was over, and they were free from chattel slavery. During slavery most slave states enforced anti-literacy laws that kept the enslaved uneducated and dependent on a system of subjugation and false superiority. There is power in reading, attaining knowledge, and using that knowledge to inform our daily lives. BCBA website was launched on this day, not only to celebrate liberation and literacy, but to specifically advance our mission to promote awareness of children’s and young adult literature by Black authors. The CCBC statistics support why our blog is a much needed resource for parents, educators, librarians, and others seeking mirror and window books. In 2018, of the 3,320 children’s books published by U. S. publishers, only 194 were written by Black authors. Reading is empowering, especially to Black children when they see themselves reflected in literature. To learn more about BCBA go here. For books about the holiday, check out the seven titles below. Happy Juneteenth!
Juneteenth for Mazie
Floyd Cooper | Capstone Young Readers, 2015 | Amazon | IndieBound
All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom
Angela Johnson | E.B. Lewis | Simon & Schuster BYR, 2014 | Amazon | IndieBound
Juneteenth
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson | Drew Nelson | Mark Schroder | Millbrook, 2005 | Amazon | IndieBound
JUNETEENTH: A Celebration of Freedom
Charles Taylor | Open Hand Pub, 2002 | Amazon
Juneteenth: Freedom Day
Muriel Miller Branch | Willis Branch | Cobblehill, 1998 | Amazon
Freedom’s Gifts: A Juneteenth Story
Valerie Wilson Wesley | Sharon Wilson | Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 1997 | Amazon
Juneteenth Jamboree
Carole Boston Weatherford | Yvonne Buchanan | Lee & Low, 1995 | Amazon
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