On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas with the news that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free.
This day came to be known as Juneteenth, now officially a federal holiday. Juneteenth is a time to celebrate, gather as a family, reflect on the past and look to the future.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/images/news/us_juneteenth_16.jpg?itok=m-RK39WR)
Enjoy the Tastes, Sounds and Experiences of Juneteenth
Juneteenth celebrates African American resilience and achievement, while aiding in the preservation of those historical narratives that promoted racial and personal advancement since Freedom Day. Join the museum’s Juneteenth celebration – spanning the entire month of June – and embrace the rich history of Freedom Day each week.
Juneteenth and the Color Red
![Juneteenth 2023 Red List Notebook](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2023-04/spiral-notebook-white-front-644158340511c.png?itok=r6NbTVQ3)
The Juneteenth 2023 Red List Notebook is among Juneteenth commemorative collection available in the museum store.
Each year when my family celebrates Juneteenth, our flyers boldly request that each quest bring something "Red." We then add examples, like red soda pop, watermelon, apples, or even red beans. Folks bring these items without much thinking about their origin. In fact, the roots of the symbolic efficacy of the color red can be traced to West Africa, where it has been associated with strength, spirituality, life, and death. Furthermore, culinary historians, trace the color to certain foods that traveled to the Americas along with the Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, such as hibiscus and the kola nut.
So, this year at Juneteenth, as you take a long swallow from a cool drink of hibiscus iced tea, or red punch, remember the ancestors who sacrificed, remember the blood shed in the struggle, remember the collective strength of people of the African diaspora, and finally remember the spirituality and transcendent joy that enabled us to overcome.
~ Kelly Navies, museum specialist and oral historian
Share On Social
Educate your followers, friends and family by sharing our graphics along with one of these suggested captions:
On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas with the news that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free. This day came to be known as #Juneteenth, now officially a federal holiday. Celebrate with @NMAAHC: nmaach.si.edu/Juneteenth
Do you know the story of #Juneteenth? Learn more and join in the celebration with @NMAAHC: nmaahc.si.edu/Juneteenth
Join Our Programs
![](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/images/news/2021-06-19t004833z_823723545_rc273o9jzvue_rtrmadp_3_usa-juneteenth.jpg?itok=dp4YmBJ2)
Juneteenth: A Time of Celebration, Reflection
Join us in-person and online for our Juneteenth programming highlighting community, culture and freedom.
Discover Educational Resources
![](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/images/blog/juneteenth_1.png?itok=nFR5V1Er)
Press Play on History: Juneteenth
Connect songs to themes of the historical experience of African Americans and Juneteenth and create a playlist through this Learning Lab activity.
![Emancipation by Thomas Nast](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/images/blog/emancipation.jpg?itok=-6CTyb6c)
Juneteenth: Connecting the Historic to the Now
Scholars discuss the historical and current political significance of the holiday.
Explore More
As you celebrate Juneteenth this year, the museum offers additional resources to help you embrace the rich history of Freedom Day.
![Juneteenth parade in Beaumont, Texas in 1925](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2023-05/Screenshot%202023-05-15%20at%209.50.41%20AM.png?itok=g6EKVPkg)
Juneteenth: Cause for Celebration
This 1925 film, recorded by the Rev. Solomon Sir Jones, captures a Juneteenth celebration in Beaumont, Texas. Learn more about Reconstruction, rights and retaliation by visiting our Searchable Museum.
Embrace a Rich History
Watch museum videos that celebrate culture, family and freedom.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/images/slideshow/nmaahc_juneteenth_resourcesimages_readinglist_v2.jpg?itok=bx8u7TVD)
Juneteenth Reading List
Check out our museum's top picks and explore the books on our expert's must-read list — curated just for you.
Titles for Younger Readers
![Cover of A is for All The Things You Are](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2022-04/A%20IS%20FOR%20ALL%20THE%20THINGS%20YOU%20ARE%20A%20JOYFUL%20ABC%20BOOK.jpg?itok=d_I_n2RT)
A IS FOR ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE A JOYFUL ABC BOOK
![Our Skin A First Conversation About Race](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2023-04/Our%20Skin%20A%20First%20Conversation%20About%20Race.jpg?itok=zvHLs6KK)
Our Skin A First Conversation About Race
![Get up Stand up](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2023-04/Get%20up%20Stand%20up.jpg?itok=-MQi5rPC)
Get Up Stand Up
![Our Children Can Soar](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2023-04/Our%20Children%20Can%20Soar.jpg?itok=6pSiPn2J)
Our Children Can Soar
![Freedom We Sing](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2023-04/FREEDOM%2C%20WE%20SING.jpg?itok=vCIbgsqY)
Freedom, We Sing
![Cover of Juneteenth For Mazie](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2022-04/JUNETEENTH%20FOR%20MAZIE.jpg?itok=zB0lUrmI)
Juneteenth for Mazie
![Cover of Ruth and The Green Book](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2022-04/RUTH%20AND%20THE%20GREEN%20BOOK.jpg?itok=Vpa1_PLR)
Ruth and the Green Book
![Cover of Tar Beach](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2022-04/TAR%20BEACH.jpg?itok=_15kTY6q)
Tar Beach
![Love Twelve Miles Long](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2023-04/Love%20Twelve%20Miles%20Long.jpg?itok=MF6zG-xi)
Love Twelve Miles Long
![Cover of ABCs of Black History](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2022-04/ABCS%20OF%20BLACK%20HISTORY.jpg?itok=x2v-P92r)
ABCs of Black History
![Cover of Harriett Tubman Conductor on the Underground Railroad](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2022-04/HARRIET%20TUBMAN%20CONDUCTOR%20ON%20THE%20UNDERGROUND%20RAILROAD.jpg?itok=sTX6Exes)
Harriet Tubman Conductor on the Underground Railroad
![Cover of Stamped For Kids](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2022-04/STAMPED%20%28FOR%20KIDS%29%20RACISM%2C%20ANTIRACISM%2C%20AND%20YOU..jpg?itok=SRvcopBa)
Stamped (for kids_ Racism, Antiracism, and You
![Cover of Brown Girl Dreaming](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2022-04/BROWN%20GIRL%20DREAMING.jpg?itok=F5I35d3d)
Brown Girl Dreaming
Facts About Juneteenth
The National Museum of African American History and Culture’s curator of women’s history Angela Tate and museum specialist and oral historian Kelly Navies provide history and insight on Juneteenth.
Commemorative Merchandise
![image of a fixture in the museum store containing NMAAHC Juneteenth Merchandise](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2022-02/Juneteenth%20products.jpg?itok=o_fUzdY2)
Help Represent Juneteenth
Shop this limited-edition collection that honors Juneteenth as celebrated for over 150 years. Purchases support the museum’s artistic, community and education programs.
Transcribe Freedmen's Bureau Records
Learn about the post-Civil War transition of enslaved people by volunteering to transcribe the records of the Freedmen's Bureau, which is accessible online, through the Smithsonian Transcription Center.