Juneteenth, a day to remember & celebrate

When I teach my students about Juneteenth, the day that the last of the enslaved people in the U.S. learned that they were free due to the Emancipation Proclamation made two years prior, June 19, 1865, they are in shock at how long it actually took for the message to be communicated.  Their questions immediately begin:

• why weren't they told?
• how did the message not get to them for two years?
• did enslaved people try to escape their captors during that time?
• what did the enslaved people do after they found out?
• where could the enslaved people go after that?

This part of American History is an important one and the books that we currently have in our collection only touch on parts of it.  I am looking forward to adding more stories to help learn more about it.  For now these are some reads that worth reading & discussing with elementary & middle grade students:

Sugar by Jewell Parker Rhodes: historical fiction, post-Civil War

    The Civil War is over and technically, 10 year old Sugar is free but where is she to go?  She remains on the plantation where she was enslaved and is working there.  When the plantation owner brings in a large number of Chinese immigrants to work alongside Sugar and the formerly enslaved people, there is a rift between the groups.  Sugar, along with the plantation owner's son, Billy, make a friendship and try to bring the groups together.  

Stamped by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi: nonfiction, history of racism

    Based on the adult version of Dr. Kendi's book, Stamped from the Beginning, Reynolds breaks down the start and origins of racism in teh world into language that young people can understand.  Each section is chronological and discusses how and why slavery began.  The arguments made to make people that Black people are inferior are laid out and revisited up the present.  The main definitions of segregationists (haters), assimilationists (likers) and anti-racists who want Black people to be themselves.  There is lots to discuss and extensions for research possibilities abound.  There is a new version for even younger readers out now, Stamped for Kids.

Unbound by Ann E. Burg: historical fiction, slavery, novel-in-verse

    9 year old Grace is told that she is to leave the familiarity of her mom, aunt and little brothers in order to be sent up to the "Big House" to be enslaved there.  With her near-white skin and pale blue eyes she's an "investment," according to the head of the household.  Up in the Big House, though, it's the Missus who strikes fear into Grace.  Grace decides to run away and bring her family with her.  Numerous people help them to escape but they find themselves going down dangerous paths.  Heartfelt, touching, and violent at times, this is a story based on true accounts of real people who lived these parts of history.

The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis: historical fiction, 19th century American South

    This chapter book tells the story of a 12 year old boy named Charlie whose father just passed away.  Since he was a sharecropper in South Carolina the owner of the land came to collect on a debt and Charlie had nothing to give him.  They strike a deal where Charlie accompanies the man, Cap'n Buck, up north to track down people who stole from him.  When Charlie finds out what is truly happening, he must change course without being caught.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson: historical fiction, revolutionary war

    The year is 1776 and an enslaved girl in Rhode Island named Isabel has just been sold to a couple who remains loyal to King George.  Thankfully her 5 year old younger sister, Ruth, is sold with her so they can stay together.  When they arrive in NYC, Isabel is exposed to harsh treatment by the couple.  When she is approached to work as a spy for the rebels she agrees with the hopes that they will reward her and Ruth by setting them free.  Intertwined with actual accounts from this time in history, Anderson tells a moving account of hope, survival and mixed loyalties.  This is part of a trilogy called, The Seeds of America. Click on the author's website link to read an excerpt, find activities, a teaching guide, and hear Anderson talk about the book.

Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome: picture book biography, poem 

    This beautifully illustrated and written picture book tells the many roles that Harriet Tubman played in her life before she helped enslaved people escape their captors on the Underground Railroad. She used her skills as a nurse, aunt, spy, conductor, general to help those around her live better lives. An inspiring story about a real American hero.

Here are more book suggestions for:

• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy
• The Awakening of Malcom X
• Making Interracial Marriage Legal

These are the books we plan to add to our library collection that are specifically about Juneteenth:

• 5 Children's Books About Juneteenth
• 18 Children's Books to Honor Juneteenth