Our Juneteenth blog post celebrates this important event by spotlighting literature that explores its history, significance, and impact, as well as highlighting the role of Afrofuturism and its impact on collective liberation. This day serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for equality and justice. On our list you’ll find powerful narratives, reflections on identity and heritage, and calls to action for social change.
Resources
Join us in honoring Juneteenth by exploring these essential reads.
eBooks
Juneteenth Rodeo by Sarah Bird
Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration by Edward T Cotham
Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates Jr
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race by Jesmyn Ward
Conversations with Percival Everett, Percival Everett and Joseph Weixlmann
Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African-American Folklore by Francis Edward Abernethy and Carolyn Fiedle,
Print Books
Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America by W Caleb McDaniel
Black Ghost of Empire: The Long Death of Slavery and the Failure of Emancipation by Kris Manjapra
The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism by Edward E Baptist
On Juneteenth by Anette Gordon-Reed (included in Juneteenth display)
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X
A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston
Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination by Toni Morrison
Grandmother of Juneteenth
Juneteenth’s designation as a federal holiday was possible in part by the tireless efforts of Ms. Opal Lee, who has come to be known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth”.
To read more about Ms. Opal Lee, and the history of Juneteenth, visit the links below:
Woman's Decades-Long Fight To Make Juneteenth a U.S. Holiday, NPR
Explore the Constellation: Emancipation Proclamation, National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC)
The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth, (NMAAHC)
Senses of Freedom: Exploring the Tastes, Sounds, and Experiences of an African American Celebration, (NMAAHC)
Afrofuturism
Afrofuturism issues an invitation to the entire African diaspora to imagine a future for Black Liberation often through the arts, politics, science and technology. It can be considered a tool for mending one's perception of self and society. In conjunction with our Juneteenth display, we also have some books from our Afrofuturism collection available for circulation.
On Display:
Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astro-Blackness by Reynaldo Anderson
A Pure Solar World: Sun Ra and the Birth of Afrofuturism by Paul Youngquist
Literary Afrofuturism in the Twenty-First Century by Isiah Lavender III
Black Utopia: The History of an Idea from Black Nationalism to Afrofuturism by Alex Zamalin
Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures by Kevin M. Strait
Afrofuturism Rising: The Literary Prehistory of a Movement by Isiah Lavender III
The Black Speculative Arts Movement: Black Futurity, Art + Design by Reynaldo Anderson
Remember, all the books in the exhibit are available for circulation, so if you see something you would like to read, just ask a library staff member for assistance and we will happily check it out to you!
Any questions? Comments? Did we miss your favorite book? Reach out to us at library@bryant.edu