Juneteenth

Flossmoor is a community steeped in history and energized by diversity and inclusion in all its forms. As we work to become more united, it is important to remember the journey and struggles of African Americans throughout our country’s history. Although our country was founded on the bold declaration that all men were created equal, we know that this was not truly the case. On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, General Gordon Granger issued a general order freeing the remaining slaves in Texas, although slavery was not outlawed in the United States until the ratification of the 13th Amendment in December 1865. 

Juneteenth is a day to celebrate the emancipation of the enslaved people in Texas and a day to recognize the generations of African Americans who fought and gave so much in the quest for freedom and civil rights. On Juneteenth, we are all called upon to recognize the significance of the day and join hearts and hands across Flossmoor to make it the welcoming, beautiful and connected community we all hold dear.

June 19: Homewood-Flossmoor Juneteenth Parade by You Matter 2, Inc.

Recommended Reading for the Juneteenth Holiday

In collaboration with the Flossmoor Public Library, we’ve developed this reading and film list, which covers the struggle for freedom and the post-Civil War era, as well as other aspects of the African-American experience. Summaries for each entry on this list can be found at the library catalog: catalog.swanlibraries.net.

ADULT NON-FICTION

• The Long Emancipation: The Demise of Slavery in the United States by Ira Berlin. 326.8 BER
• The Thin Light of Freedom: the Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America  by Edward Ayers. 973.73 AYE
• Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865 by James Oakes
• Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction by Eric Foner.
• Free at Last: A Documentary History of Slavery, Freedom, and the Civil War by Ira Berlin. 973.0496 FRE
• We Ain’t What We Ought To Be : The Black Freedom Struggle From Emancipation to Obama by Stephen G.N. Tuck. 323.1196 TUC
• Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston. 306.362 HUR
• The Battle of Negro Fort: The Rise & Fall of a Fugitive Slave Community by Matthew J. Clavin. 973.51 CLA
• 50 Black Women Who Changed America by Amy Alexander. BIO ALEXANDER
• The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson. 304.8089 WIL
• Black Boy: A Record of Childhood and Youth by Richard Wright. BIO WRIGHT
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. 364.973 ALE
• Motherhood So White by Nefertiti Austin. 305.4889 AUS
• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. 345.05 STE
• When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan and Asha Bandele. 323.092 KHA

ADULT FICTION

• The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. FIC COA
• The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. FIC WIN
• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. FIC ELL
• Juneteenth by Ralph Ellison. FIC ELL
• If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin. FIC BAL
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. FIC MOR

FILM

• Roots, the 30^th Anniversary Edition DVD TV ROOT
• 12 Years A Slave DVD FEATURE TWEL
• Slavery by Another Name DVD NON-FIC SLAV
• Slavery and the Making of America DVD NON-FIC SLAV
• Eyes on the Prize DVD NON-FIC EYES

CHILDREN’S MATERIAL

• Abraham Lincoln, The Emancipation Proclamation, and the Thirteenth Amendment by B.J. Best. J 973.714 BES
• Juneteenth by Natalie M. Rosinsky. J 394.263 ROS
• Juneteenth by R.J. Bailey. E 394.263 BAI
• All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson. E JOH
• Juneteenth Jamboree by Carole Boston Weatherford. E WEA
• Juneteeth For Mazie by Floyd Cooper. E COO