Dear NYLS Community,
This Sunday, June 19 our nation will celebrate Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas bringing news of the end of the Civil War and putting into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued by President Abraham Lincoln more than two years earlier.
Communities and families have celebrated Juneteenth for over 150 years. NYLS, New York State, and New York City began to observe this holiday two years ago and it became a federal holiday last year, the first new holiday since the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.
As I wrote to you earlier this month, NYLS will observe this holiday both tomorrow and on Monday. We recommend that you use these days for celebration, rest and reflection, learning, giving back, and/or advocating for a more equitable and just society, depending on your circumstances and what feels right to you. Below you will find a selection of celebrations and educational events virtually and throughout the City.
Thank you for your commitment to our institution, to racial equity and justice, and the promise of our democracy.
Dean Crowell
Celebrations and Educational Events
- 14 historic sites of the abolitionist movement in Greenwich Village – Village Preservation
- The 13th Annual Juneteenth New York Festival, with online and in-person events
- The African Burial Ground National Monument’s Juneteenth Celebration at Duane Street, a few blocks away from NYLS
- Celebrate Juneteenth In Seneca Village in Central Park, a predominately African-American community that existed before New York City created Central Park
- Honoring Juneteenth at the Brooklyn Museum
- A solidarity march in the form of a 5K walk/run that concludes in Seneca Village in Central Park
- Juneteenth Transcribe-a-thon at the Staten Island Museum to transcribe newly digitized family history records
- Celebrating Juneteenth events at Brooklyn Public Library locations