Juneteenth, also known as “Freedom Day,” “Liberation Day,” or “Emancipation Day” and observed on June 19 every year, is the commemoration of the final, full emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. On June 19, 1865, the Union Army landed in Galveston, Texas, with the news that the Civil War had ended and enslaved people were now free. This was actually two and a half full years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation (1863), but it was not immediately implemented in places still under Confederate control, including Texas. The day became known as Juneteenth by the newly freed people in Texas.
In honor of the day, here are a number of events, resources, art, and art exhibitions to help you celebrate.
Art and resources at the Library
The Alfred R. Goldstein Library has physical and digital resources on Juneteenth and anti-racism. Explore their LibGuides online or visit and check out their curated collection in person. Students, faculty, and staff can check out up to 40 books at one time.
On the second floor of Goldstein, visitors can explore the Brizdle-Schoenberg Special Collections Center’s collection of works on paper and art books that share the history of radical Black activism, from Kara Walker’s pop-up book, Freedom, a Fable, to Brooklyn-based Char Jeré’s The periodic table of Black revolutionaries. Students, faculty, and staff can schedule a visit to explore the collection by using the signup form online and selecting a 45-minute appointment.
How to Celebrate Juneteenth in Sarasota
Our Sarasota community members and neighbors are hosting a number of events throughout the Sarasota-Bradenton region, and most of them are free and open to the public.
Last Sunday, June 16, the West Coast Black Theatre Troupe hosted the Second Annual Juneteenth Arts Festival which featured an art exhibition with work from local artists, food vendors, a screening of Ringling College student short films, and live performances, dances, and music.
The Sarasota County NAACP Voting Collaboration Committee will host Sarasota NAACP “Link Up The Vote” Day today, Wednesday, June 19, from 1-4 pm at the Historic Leonard Reid House. There will be performances by students of the Manasota ASALH Freedom School and spoken word poets throughout the day. The event is free to the public.
From 6-8 pm tonight, Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition (SAACC) and The Ringling Museum will lead a conversation about the prominence of African American artists and their contributions to the Sarasota art community titled “Let’s Talk” Art Series Juneteenth Edition. This event will also be held at the Leonard Reid House, and also free.
On Saturday, June 22, RECESS Education, Inc. will host Juneteenth Reading Conference and Juneteenth Community Festival, with a Black business expo, financial literacy workshops, voter registration, and read-a-long, with live entertainment by local artist Amelia, at Dream Center, 922 24th St E, Bradenton from 2-7 pm. The event is free and open to the public.
The Newtown Historic Community will hold a free block party on Saturday, Newtown Juneteenth Celebration 2024, from 12-7 pm on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Gillespie Ave. The party will feature live music, street vendors, food, and performances.
Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, Inc. (SAACC) will host another free event at the Historic Leonard Reid House on Saturday from 6-9 pm, Juneteenth Jubilee Jam at Leonard Reid House. This party with a purpose will feature performances by popular local artists Jah Movement, Derric Gobourne, Jr., and Ariel Blue. The event will include vendors and art exhibits.
On Sunday, June 23, the Manasota Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) will host Celebrating Juneteenth, a live contemporary art and dining experience featuring artist Kendel Woods, performances, and fundraising for ASALH’s Freedom School. The event will be from 4-6 pm at Chaz 51 Steakhouse in Venice. Tickets are $100 each, with various sponsorship ticket tiers.
More resources to learn more about Juneteenth, from online resources to podcasts to free courses.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture has put together a collection of resources titled, Senses of Freedom: Exploring the Tastes, Sounds and Experiences of an African American Celebration, and PBS produced a documentary, Juneteenth Jamboree.
Podcasts
Code Switch, NPR
1619, New York Times
Intersectionality Matters, Kimberlé Crenshaw
Engage and Learn
Free Course on Race and Cultural Diversity in American Life and History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Implicit Biases Tests, Harvard University
Talking about Race, National Museum of African American History & Culture
The Urgency of Intersectionality TedTalk, Kimberlé Crenshaw
The 1619 Project Curriculum Resources, Pulitzer Center
Books
How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi (available at the library)
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo
Women, Race, & Class, by Angela Davis
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, by Beverly Daniel Tatum (available at Goldstein Library)