Celebrating Juneteenth & More
Friends,
Today is Juneteenth, thought to be the longest running celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, notice of the Emancipation Proclamation freeing enslaved people finally reached Texas through an order read aloud by Union General Gordon Grange in Galveston. The word arrived a whopping two and a half years late. Abraham Lincoln’s initial draft of the Emancipation Proclamation is among the treasures contained in the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress, and is viewable online here. www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-war-in-america/december-1862-october-1863.html#obj4
In fact, the Library plays host to a wealth of resources and materials related to the emancipation holiday and its celebration throughout American history, as well to the practice of slavery itself and to the voices of formerly enslaved people. Below you will find a list of new blog posts from throughout the Library highlighting a few such resources, including audio recordings from our poignant collection, “Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories.” Other materials are being shared on our social media accounts throughout the day.
This year’s Juneteenth celebrations have special significance and poignancy in today’s climate where issues of racial injustice are again at the forefront. Today at 4 p.m. ET, I am hosting a virtual conversation with current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds and former National Ambassador Jacqueline Woodson about ways to hear and support kids during a period of nationwide protest against injustice. This event is part of our new online series "Hear You, Hear Me: Conversations on Race in America," which you can also learn more about below. You can watch it on our Facebook page, our YouTube channel or on our main website at loc.gov. I hope to “see” you there.
Sincerely,
Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress
Juneteenth-Related Posts from Across the Library's Blogs
The Birth of Juneteenth; Voices of the Enslaved
blogs.loc.gov/loc/2020/06/the-birth-of-juneteenth-voices-of-the-enslaved/
Ralph Ellison’s “Juneteenth"
blogs.loc.gov/catbird/2020/06/ralph-ellisons-juneteenth/
Born in Slavery: Portraits and Narratives of Formerly Enslaved People
blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2020/06/born-in-slavery-portraits-and-narratives-of-formerly-enslaved-people/
Becky Elzy and Alberta Bradford: Spiritual Folklorists
blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2018/02/becky-elzy-and-alberta-bradford-spiritual-folklorists/
When a Former Enslaved Person Debated a Former Confederate in the House of Representatives
blogs.loc.gov/law/2020/06/when-a-former-slave-debated-a-former-confederate-in-the-house-of-representatives/
“Hear You, Hear Me”: Conversations on Race in America
This new online series features Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in conversation with some of the nation’s great literary figures, and will highlight what poetry and literature can offer the nation as it contends with foundational issues of social justice.
- Jason Reynolds and Jacqueline Woodson: TODAY, June 19, 4-5 p.m. ET
- Joy Harjo and Tracy K. Smith: Thursday, July 9, 7-8 p.m. ET
- Colson Whitehead: Thursday, July 16, 7-8 p.m. ET
All of the conversations will be available for viewing after the launch.
Event details: blogs.loc.gov/national-book-festival/2020/06/hear-you-hear-me-virtual-programs-feature-conversations-on-race-in-america/
Videos: loc.gov/programs/national-book-festival/national-book-festival-presents/
The Boccaccio Project: Concerts in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Watch as the Library premieres as series of 10 commissions of new music from composers across America in The Boccaccio Project, inspired by a similar literary effort in the mid-14th century by Giovanni Boccaccio.
Watch as each concert premieres nightly at 8 p.m.June 15-26, or watch the full series:
loc.gov/concerts/boccaccio-project/
Latest LCM Commemorates the End of World War II
In the new issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, we commemorate the 75th anniversary of end of World War II and the service of the men and women who fought in that conflict.
Features include:
- a one-of-a-kind map, made by Japanese pilots that detailed the damage inflicted at Pearl Harbor
- Manuscript Division collections that preserve photos taken in the field by Gen. George S. Patton
- commentary by Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Atkinson on a war whose consequences continue to unspool more than seven decades later
... and more. Download your copy today: loc.gov/lcm/
Save the Date! The 2020 National Book Festival is Going Virtual
The 20th Library of Congress National Book Festival will celebrate “American Ingenuity” in 2020, featuring the creativity and inspiration of some of the nation’s most gifted authors in a reimagined virtual festival the weekend of Sept. 25-27. The festival is part of the Library’s 220th anniversary year, and more details will be announced at a later date.
June Is LGBTQ Pride Month
June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month and June 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of annual LGBTQ+ Pride traditions. The first Pride march in New York City was held on June 28, 1970 on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Primary sources available at the Library of Congress provide detailed information about how this first Pride march was planned, and the reasons why activists felt so strongly that it should exist.
Support the Library
We are more grateful than ever for all that you do to keep us strong. Whether you support the Library with a gift or simply by spreading the word about what we do, you help us in our mission to connect millions of people around the world with the stories of our collective past, present, and future.
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