Juneteenth 2021: It’s Our 6th Anniversary!

“Freedom is worth celebrating and I am pleased that we in Texas have been celebrating it for 115 years. I am proud that the celebration is now official and that I had a part in making it so.”-Albert E. Edwards, the Father of the Juneteenth Holiday

It’s our 6th anniversary! On June 19, 2015, Black Children’s Books and Authors officially launched with a mission to promote awareness of children’s and young adult literature by Black authors. Juneteenth Day was chosen because it represents freedom. Freedom is defined as “the condition or right of being able or allowed to do, say, think, etc. whatever you want to, without being controlled or limited.” One of the freedoms that was denied the enslaved was the right to read. This article states that “Following the end of the Civil War, literacy rates climbed steadily among Black Americans…” The freed Black community was eager for the education that was denied them.

The impetus for starting our organization was the dearth of stories by Black authors coming from the publishing industry. Go here for the “Diversity “Statistics.” We will continue to advance our mission so that educators, parents, community leaders, and most importantly, children are aware of the empowering stories that Black authors write. Whether those real or imagined stories are silly or serious, romantic or adventurous, funny or folksy, Black children need and deserve to see themselves reflected in all of their humanity.

The books listed tell how on June 19, 1865, enslaved Blacks in Galveston, Texas heard Union General Gordon Granger recite General Order, No. 3, which partially read “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” That was the beginning of Juneteenth celebrations in Galveston, Texas and the celebrations have since spread all across the world. Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth by Alice Faye Duncan is not releasing until January 2022 but is available for pre-order.

✨Book Giveaway: For our 6th anniversary, we are giving away 6 copies of All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom by award-winning author Angela Johnson. This is a Twitter Giveaway only. See pinned tweet here and enter!

Juneteenth Books:

Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth

Juneteenth: A Children’s Story

Juneteenth for Mazie (Fiction Picture Books)

All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom

Juneteenth Jamboree

Juneteenth (On My Own Holidays)

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