Westerly Sun Column | Celebrate Juneteenth in Wilcox Park

For many years, the list of federally designated holidays included Memorial Day in May, followed by Independence Day in July. Many of us, myself included, are accustomed to honoring those that were lost in service to the country, as well as celebrating the birth of our country and separation from Great Britain through parties, parades, and potlucks. For many decades, millions of Americans celebrated another holiday in June, though it was overlooked by millions more until finally being declared a federal holiday in 2021. This is Juneteenth, and we celebrate it on Thursday, June 19.

The signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, marked the freedom and independence of our country, but it is important to note that this was not a day of freedom for hundreds of thousands of enslaved people in the United States. Freedom for them did not come until nearly a century later, on June 19, 1865. On this day — over two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, and two months after the end of the Civil War — Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to finally spread the word that the war was over, and the enslaved people were free. Black people throughout the country have been celebrating Juneteenth since then, but it was not until the past couple of years that much of the rest of the country caught on.

Juneteenth celebrations often include family gatherings and street festivals, with food playing a prominent role. They often include red food and drinks, as well as dishes like collard greens, black-eyed peas, and potato salad. You can read more about the traditional celebration foods, and find delicious recipes, in books like “Watermelon and Red Birds” by Nicole A. Taylor and “A Juneteenth Celebration Cookbook” by Alliah L. Agostini.

In addition to celebrating the abolishment of slavery in the United States and filling your stomach with delicious treats, Juneteenth is a day to celebrate and learn more about Black history and culture. “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed is a short, but now classic, book that recounts the long journey to Juneteenth from the perspective of a historian, though we have innumerable others for kids, teens, and adults that will help you learn more. “Lincoln’s Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War” (2025), “They Built Me for Freedom” and “Opal Lee and what it means to be free” are a few that come to mind.

The library building may be closed for the holiday, but we invite you to join Westerly ARC and us this Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for their fifth annual Juneteenth Celebration. This is an all-ages event out in Wilcox Park with children’s activities, refreshments, music, and keynote speaker Justice Melissa A. Long, along with Marlon Carey of Rhode Island Black Storytellers!

by Cassie Skobrak, Adult Services Librarian