IN PERSON- Juneteenth: The History

This program will be delivered via Zoom and will be streamed to our Kingsley Room. If you want to watch the program from home, register here.

Join us as we explore the history and origins of America’s most recent addition to our national holiday schedule. It’s the 11th national holiday and the first authorized in the 21st century. 

It’s also a holiday recognized in all 50 states with Texas being the first state to legislate it as a state paid holiday. Juneteenth is a portmanteau word for June and nineteenth. It commemorates the June 19, 1865 Federal Government’s announcement in Texas that emancipated the last enslaved African-American people of the Confederate South. Juneteenth, originally known as Jubilee Day, is a special holiday celebrating the promise of tomorrow that freedom provides every citizen. 

John Cilio is a historian, storyteller, a member of the Organization of American Historians and the Association for the Study of Connecticut History. He thrives on researching the ghosts of our past, uncovering the underlying forces and historical trends that one single event rarely impacts. He believes that often the consequences of a historical incident were hidden from those that experienced it, yet looking back, one can sense the full impact of their moments in time.  

John lives in Sherman, CT, and is the author of six historical books and written over 200 articles. He has spoken at over 475 events on a wide range of topics in several countries. His goal is to make history relevant, engaging, and enlightening.  

Like all Southbury Public Library programs, this event is free to attend and open to anyone regardless of town of residency. Registration is required. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library.  For more information about this program, please email Rebecca at rrandall@biblio.org or call the reference desk at 203-262-0626 ext 130.