#Freedom Day
Considered the longest-running African American holiday, Juneteenth has been celebrated by African Americans since the 1800s and became a federal holiday in 2021. A combination of the words "June" and "nineteenth," it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order, issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas.
Florida also celebrates Emancipation Day on May 20. Emancipation was proclaimed in Tallahassee on May 20, 1865, 11 days after the end of the Civil War, and two years after the Proclamation first issued by President Abraham Lincoln freed those enslaved in Southern states.
Please note: Jacksonville Public Library will be closed on Monday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth Freedom Day. So, be sure to pick up your books early or check out our Digital Library.
Meet the Co-Creator of the Bestselling March Trilogy
Lit Chat Interview Saturday, June 15 from 4-5 p.m. at the Main Library
Nate Powell is a National Book Award-winning cartoonist who began self-publishing as an Arkansas teenager in 1992. His work includes the new graphic novel Fall Through and a new comics adaptation of James Loewen’s influential Lies My Teacher Told Me, as well as Save It For Later, civil rights icon John Lewis’s March trilogy, Come Again, Two Dead, and more. He has discussed his work at the UN, on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, PBS, and CNN.
Powell has received multiple Eisner and Ignatz awards, the Comic-Con International Inkpot Award, multiple ALA and YALSA distinctions, and is a two-time finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. A book signing will follow the interview with books available for purchase on-site.
# Book Recommendations
We love to share selections that demonstrate the range of our collection all year and we encourage you to explore these books with us this month!
Kids
Teens
Adults
Explore the Digital Library
Explore the history and legacy of Juneteenth with audiobooks, eBooks, comics, music, and video on hoopla Digital. From the roots of slavery to the Civil Rights movement, learn about the pivotal moments that shaped the Black experience in America - it's all free and available instantly with your library card!
Find more Juneteenth content on hoopla!
Let's get DUUUVAL reading!
Are you participating in Mayor Deegan's River City Readers challenge? Through the Beanstack app, children and their caregivers will be able to log their reading minutes with an individual goal of reading at least 20 minutes per day, and a citywide goal of reading one million minutes in 2024. At the end of the year, the city’s top young readers will be given prizes!
Join the Challenge
- Go to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Download and open the Beanstack Tracker app.
- You can also register and log your reading minutes on the Beanstack website at https://jaxpl.beanstack.com.
- Using the Find a Site search bar, type Jax Library or River City Readers
