Juneteenth

Explore Our Online Exhibits

Joshua Glover Plaque
Some Exhibits to Come – Three Centuries Of Enslavement
Harriet Tubman, "The Conductor," with fugitive slaves in Underground Railroad station
Bibliography – Three Centuries of Enslavement
Slave Auction Poster
A 1859 Slave Auction in Savannah, as Reported by the New York Tribune
slaves in cotton field
How Slavery Became the Law of the Land “For Blacks Only”
FredDouglass w:firewks
Frederick Douglass: “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”
The Scourged Back: This slave named Gordon ran for 80 miles to join the Union Forces in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in March 1863. This famous photo of the welts on his badly "scourged back" was taken while he was being fitted for a uniform.
The Scourged Back: How Runaway Slave and Soldier Private Gordon Changed History
"Contrabands": During the Civil War, thousands of slaves escaped their owners in the South by getting to Union Army camps. Thus freed, many continued on to settle in the North.
The Freedmen of Wisconsin
This woodcut, published in 1831 with a story about the Southampton Rebellion, was titled "Horrific Massacre in Virginia."
Nat Turner’s Rebellion: Horrific or Heroic?
Map of the world showing which countries that traffic in humans to the U.S.; map shows how individual countries comply with anti-trafficking laws. The Kansas City Star 2009<p> With BC-TRAFFICKING:KC, Kansas City Star by Mark Morris<p> 02000000; 08000000; 09000000; CLJ; HUM; krtcrime crime; krtfeatures features; krthumaninterest human interest; krtlabor labor; krtnational national; krtworld world; LAB; krt; mctgraphic; 02001000; 02001007; 02011000; CRI; international law; kidnapping kidnaping kidnap; krtlaw law; 04018000; FIN; ODD; african american african-american black; hispanic; krtdiversity diversity; woman women; youth; eames; human; map; morris; prostitution; slave; slavery; smuggle; smuggled; smuggling; trafficking; victim; kc contributed; 2009; krt2009
Traces of the Trade: The North’s Complicity in Slavery
A man stands in front of the Djingareyber mosque on February 4, 2016 in Timbuktu, central Mali. Mali's fabled city of Timbuktu on February 4 celebrated the recovery of its historic mausoleums, destroyed during an Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and rebuilt thanks to UN cultural agency UNESCO. TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY SEBASTIEN RIEUSSEC / AFP / SÉBASTIEN RIEUSSEC
African Peoples Before Captivity
Shackles from Slave Ship Henrietta Marie
Kidnapped: The Middle Passage

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June 19th, also known as Juneteenth, is a day that recognizes the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19th, 1865, two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that ended slavery, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform slaveholders that they must legally those people who remained enslaved. This threat of force against the holdouts successfully ensured that the city’s remaining slaves, many of whom were already aware of slavery’s end but lacked the power to stand up to their slavers, were freed. Juneteenth has become an important day to many Black Americans and allies in the fight against racism.

Below you’ll find articles and exhibits about Juneteenth, which will automatically update as we add new stories about Juneteenth. As you scroll through these pages, you’ll understand the day’s history, efforts to increase awareness, the fight for it to be recognized as a holiday, and current events celebrating the day and its meaning.

City of Nashville to make Juneteenth a paid holiday

April 13, 2022

Juneteenth has only been a federal holiday since 2021, and its status doesn’t impact many workers. But Nashville leaders plan to make it a paid city holiday.

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7 Books to Help Teach Kids About Juneteenth

June 15, 2022

Families who want to teach kids about the end of slavery and Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday, can read one of these books together.

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What does it mean to celebrate Juneteenth?

June 19, 2022

Companies have wasted no time commercializing Juneteenth now that it is a federal holiday, but doing so overlooks the meaning behind the day.

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Here’s what really happened on Juneteenth

June 13, 2022

The story that Union troops brought news of slavery’s end to unknowing slavers and slaves in Galveston is challenged, shining a new light on Juneteenth.

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I Am Juneteenth! Milwaukee’s World-Renowned Juneteenth Day Celebration

February 24, 2023
I Am Juneteenth, Milwaukee's Juneteenth Celebration 2023

Since 1971, Juneteenth in Milwaukee has grown larger each year and the community doesn’t hold anything back. Milwaukee’s celebration is one of the largest and oldest in the country. Enjoy several blocks of fun with over 170,000 participants. Celebrate with food, speakers, live music, and, of course, one of the largest Juneteenth parades in the country. 

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ABHM Celebrates Juneteenth: A Week of Events Honoring Family & Community

June 10, 2023
ABHM Celebrates Juneteenth

This Juneteenth, ABHM invites you to join us throughout the week to celebrate freedom, family, art, culture, and community. All of the week’s events and admission to the museum will be free and open to the public thanks to a generous donation from Herb Kohl Philanthropies.

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ABHM Celebrates Juneteenth: A Week Of Events Honoring Family & Community

June 10, 2023

This Juneteenth, ABHM invites you to join us throughout the week to celebrate freedom, family, art, culture, and community. All of the week’s events and admission to the museum will be free and open to the public thanks to a generous donation from Herb Kohl Philanthropies.

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Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday, is gaining awareness

June 19, 2023

Since President Biden proclaimed it a holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has become increasingly more recognized. However, many Americans are still uneducated about its significance.

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Milwaukee’s World-Renowned Juneteenth Day Celebration

April 22, 2024
Milwaukee Juneteenth 2024

Since 1971, Juneteenth in Milwaukee has grown larger each year and the community doesn’t hold anything back. Milwaukee’s celebration is one of the largest and oldest in the country. Enjoy several blocks of fun with over 170,000 participants. Celebrate with food, speakers, live music, and, of course, one of the largest Juneteenth parades in the country. 

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ABHM Book Club: On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed

April 22, 2024
On Juneteenth book cover

We will be reading On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed and discussing it virtually on June 20th at 6 PM via Zoom. Annette Gordon-Reed’s ‘On Juneteenth’ brilliantly reimagines American history, intertwining personal narratives and historical facts to reveal the profound impact of Black Americans on the Lone Star State, culminating in the pivotal moment of June 19, 1865, and reminding us of the ongoing struggle for equality.

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