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Africana Studies

Juneteenth is Officially an NJ Holiday!

Official Juneteenth Flag

(official Juneteenth Flag)

On September 10, 2020 Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey signed legislation designating Juneteenth as a recognized State and public holiday taking place on the third Friday in June. 

To see official news story, visit NJ.gov: Governor Murphy Signs Legislation Designating Juneteenth as a State and Public Holiday

Here is an interesting piece from the New Jersey Historical Commission: New Jersey, The Last Northern State to End Slavery

Juneteenth Historical Sources

Digitizations of Primary Sources located in the National Archives:

For assistance with primary sources located in the SHU Archives, Special Collections, and Gallery please contact:

For assistance incorporating these primary sources and more into instruction, please contact: 

What is Juneteenth?

 

 

"Juneteenth is a festival held in many African American and other communities to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The name of the festival refers to June 19. Juneteenth festivities often include plays and storytelling, parades, and family reunions. Some communities hold longer Juneteenth festivals, spanning several days, as a celebration of civil rights and freedom. Juneteenth has been a legal holiday in Texas since 1980."  (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. 2018, 1p.)

Read more: What is Juneteenth? (SHU Search)

 

To view original Juneteenth Order, please visit the National Archives: Original ‘Juneteenth’ General Order

Books of Interest

Book Cover of To Plead Our Own Cause
Book Cover of Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present
Book Cover of Envisioning Emancipation
Book Cover of African American Literature
Book Cover of Black Writers, White Publishers
Book Cover of The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture
Book Cover of Historicizing post-discourses : postfeminism and postracialism in United States culture
Book Cover of Festivals of Freedom
Book Cover of The Fields of Praise
Book Cover of Remixing the Civil War
Book Cover of Go down, Old Hannah
Book Cover of Juneteenth

Ideas to Celebrate

Additional Resources