Welcome

Welcome to the Juneteenth Archive.  The Juneteenth Archive is a digital collection to learn about the history and contemporary practices of Juneteenth. Juneteenth is a new federal holiday that recognizes the abolition of slavery, but a holiday that started in Texas 150 years ago.  Currently, the Juneteenth Archive is in its first phase and is focused particularly on the festivals in New Jersey.  As this site develops, the scope will expand to include materials from across the nation.  

Over the past 150 years, Juneteenth has gradually become America’s Emancipation Day.  It began as a commemoration of the long-delayed emancipation of the enslaved people of Texas and its surrounding area but has grown through grassroots movements to all corners of the United States.  This distinction as America’s Emancipation Day became official on June 18, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed legislation making it the 11th Federal Holiday.