Menu

Public Library

Site Menu

Celebrate Juneteenth at SDPL

Black background with red yellow black and green groovy waves on the side. Text: Juneteenth stylized with a fist coming out of the J.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States and commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans in Texas on June 19, 1865. The San Diego Public Library is proud to recognize Juneteenth through cultural and educational programs, book displays and celebrations. 

Quick links:

black and white photograph of an Emancipation Day Celebration crowd in Richmond in 1905

 

About Juneteenth

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that declared that all enslaved Black people in Confederate-held states were to be set free. In practice however, there is no single date that marks the end to slavery in the United States.

The Emancipation Proclamation did not apply to parts of the Confederacy or Southern secessionist states that were under Northern control. Slaveholders more easily avoided the implementation of the proclamation by their isolation from the war and a lack of Union soldiers in a state like Texas.

Following the defeat of the Confederacy and the end of the Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to issue General Order No. 3, to inform Texans that all enslaved Black people were free on June 19, 1865.

Juneteenth has long been celebrated by Black Americans since the late 1800s with family gatherings, parades, festivals, food and cultural events. It gained nationwide interest following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. In 2021 it was officially recognized as a federal holiday and named Juneteenth National Freedom Day and is now celebrated in the City of San Diego.

Juneteenth Kick-Off

Juneteenth Jubilee at Central Library 

June 14 | Noon–5 p.m. | Courtyard 

 

San Diego Central Library @ the Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common is kicking off Juneteenth National Freedom Day with an exciting Jubilee filled with community, live music, poetry and special guests. Everyone is invited to celebrate. San Diego Poet Laureate Paola Capó-García, The Back-Alley Poets, and Chanté Summers will host poetry readings throughout the day, the Dennis Gittens Jazz Duo will play live music, King Britt will give a talk on Blacktronica: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music and more. 

 

 

Juneteenth Kickoff Schedule & Highlights 

  • Noon | Resource Fair & Voter Registration Drive 

  • 1 p.m. | Opening, Libations & Poetry Readings 

  • 1:30 p.m. | Dennis Gittens Jazz Duo 

  • 3:30 p.m. | Blacktronica: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music with King Britt 

  • Juneteenth Zine giveaways 

  • ...and poetry readings by Back Alley Poetry Club! 

  • Black rectangle with green, yellow, and red waves on the left and right side. Celebrate Freedom Day with “Juneteenth” underneath in bold, red, yellow, and green colors. A fist comes out of the J. Text: Jubilee Kick-Off continues underneath.
  • Photo of a man in a suit singing into a microphone with a golden background. Text: Dennis Gittens Jazz Duo
  • A man in a beret and blue glasses smiles widely with his eyes closed with a golden background. Text: UCSD Professor King Britt
  • Poet Laureate Paolo Capó-García smiles at the camera with her hand under her chin while wearing a floral shirt with a golden background. Image text states her name.

Juneteenth Programs around SDPL

Photograph of young students, two are seated and playing the flute and one is standing to play the bass.

June 14 | Oak Park Library | 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

 

A joyful celebration of Juneteenth with a jazz performance and fun activities. 

 

 

Silhouette of a man and a woman surrounded by a wreath.

June 14 | Skyline Hills Library | 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. 

 

Members from the SD African American Genealogy Research Group share research strategies and resources for those exploring their family history. 

 

 

Black-and-white poster of two shirtless African American men, whose faces express frowns. The behind man wrapping one arm around the front man.

Monday, June 16 | Central Library | 6 p.m. 

 

As part of Juneteenth Jubilee programming, watch a Picture This! screening of Tongues Untied. Directed by Marlon T. Riggs, this groundbreaking film blends documentary footage, personal accounts and poetry in an attempt to depict Black gay identity. Watch the film and meet The San Diego Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, too! 

 

 

Drawing of a mother and child reading from a book on a red, black, green and yellow background with a black fist and broken chains.

June 18 | Carmel Mountain Ranch Library | 10 a.m. 

 

Celebrate freedom and joy with your little ones at our special Juneteenth Storytime, designed just for preschoolers ages 2–4. We'll share age-appropriate stories to honor the day. Come listen and learn together!    

 

Resources

 

Booklists