Juneteenth

Opal Lee is known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talked with her in 2024 about her activism, and her hopes for the future.

While some enslaved people did not know about Lincoln's order, many learned of it while the fighting was still ongoing through informal networks, rumors and sometimes from slaveholders themselves.

San Antonio will mark Juneteenth with celebrations and recognitions of renewed reflection on the unfinished struggle for racial equality include the opening of the St. James AME Church Culture Crossing enhancements along San Pedro Creek and other events.

Juneteenth is often told as an American story. But it's been celebrated for generations in Corina Torralba Harrington's hometown in Mexico by descendants of Black Seminoles.

On Juneteenth we look back at the fight for civil rights in America. Historian Peniel E. Joseph discusses his new book Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights Revolution." He reflects on the power of protest and community organizing and how segregationists and other bigots in power were pushed out of the way. And what this means today.

Food and cooking play a big role in Juneteenth celebrations. The barbecues and fish fries woven into Black culture helped shape American cuisine.

On Juneteenth we look back at the fight for civil rights in America. Historian Peniel E. Joseph discusses his new book Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights Revolution." He reflects on the power of protest and community organizing and how segregationists and other bigots in power were pushed out of the way. And what this means today.

NPR wants to know how you feel about celebrating Juneteenth at this moment in history

Here are some of the ways to celebrate and honor Juneteenth in San Antonio in the coming days.

The handbill that informed slaves in Texas of their freedom was given out June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.