Tag Juneteenth

How the Word is Passed book cover is strictly typography of the cover and the author's name. The subtitle reads "A reckoning with the history of slavery across America."

How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith

emilyhcls Leave a comment
How the Word is Passed book cover is strictly typography of the cover and the author's name. The subtitle reads "A reckoning with the history of slavery across America."

by Emily B.

Two years, five months, and seventeen days. That’s how long it took for President Lincoln’s Executive Order 95 to reach the last group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. Lincoln’s executive order, better known as the Emancipation Proclamation, declared freedom for all enslaved people in confederate states. Most slave owners chose not to inform their slaves of their freedom. But on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger finally brought the message of freedom to Galveston. Juneteenth celebrations spread quickly throughout the South and persisted through hardships like the Great Depression and Jim Crow laws, finally being recognized as federal holiday in 2021.

Clint Smith visited Galveston to examine the history and celebration of Juneteenth in his book How the Word is Passed. Each chapter sees Smith explore different historic sites with significant slavery ties like Angola Prison, Whitney Plantation, and Gorée Island in Senegal. Do these sites distort the past in an effort to diminish the pain of enslaved people? Or do they educate and atone?

Throughout his journey, Smith ponders how differently the US might look if all Americans could reckon with the atrocities of slavery and the legacy left in its wake. It might be difficult and uncomfortable for some to read about the violence and suffering that enslaved people were forced to endure, but it’s a component of American history that cannot be ignored.

Part of what makes How the Word is Passed so wonderful is Smith’s approach to the project. During his travels, he interacts with tour guides, locals, and tourists to learn their perspectives and reflections. During his Monticello visit he meets two older women who were shocked to learn that Thomas Jefferson was a slaveowner. “It just took his shine off,” one woman remarked. “He might’ve done great things, but boy did he have a big flaw.”

Smith, a poet and a former high school English teacher in Prince George’s County, wrote this book with his students in mind and it shows. Smith’s prose is incredibly informative and impactful as he interrogates American history. I hope that one day soon this will be required reading.

The Word is Passed by Clint Smith is available in print, e-book, e-audiobook, and audiobook on CD.

TONIGHT: Songs of Freedom: Journey Along the Underground Railroad
For everyone.
Wed, Jun 18 | 7 – 8:30 pm
Carroll Baldwin Hall | 9035 Baltimore St, Savage
Harriet Tubman’s story comes alive through traditional code songs, modern melodies, and authentic narration. Journey along the Underground Railroad with historian Linda Harris as she chronicles her annual charity walks through the lens of local African American history.
Linda Harris is the Director of Events and Programming at the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge, MD. Learn more about Linda Harris and the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center at harriettubmanmuseumcenter.org
Registration is optional. Register to receive email reminders and updates about this class. Seating is first-come, first-served.
In partnership with Carroll Baldwin Hall

Juneteenth: Freedom Day appears inside a yellow square atop swashes of color in red, black, green, and yellow.

Celebrating Juneteenth

brandondwightbannister Leave a comment
Juneteenth: Freedom Day appears inside a yellow square atop swashes of color in red, black, green, and yellow.

by Brandon B.

What greater place to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday than with the library? Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) is the day on which federal troops traveled to Galveston, Texas in 1865 to free all enslaved people. Even though this happened two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, we honor Juneteenth as the day that slavery officially ended everywhere in the U.S.

Since 2021, Juneteenth marks the federal holiday when we celebrate Black freedom and liberation. However, we still have a way to go toward true equity, with continued violence toward Black people by law enforcement, discrimination in job and housing opportunities, and the lingering consequences of slavery. In addition, many school districts have now decided to pull Black authors and titles from their curriculum due to fear of critical race theory. If you have an HCLS library card, you have the opportunity to acquire knowledge which can facilitate change.

At Central Branch, visit our Equity Resource Center which offers inspirational books, DVDs, and audio materials for all ages. One informative book to read is The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World by Dave Zirin, which explains how former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick risked his career and became an activist for Black social justice. Another great read is the 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones, which provides an historical analysis of the first people of African descent who arrived in the U.S.

Juneteenth by R.J. Bailey gives children a great understanding of why Juneteenth is significant. Ways to Welcome by Linda Ashman is another wonderful children’s book, illustrating how creating a friendly and welcoming environment can have a lasting impact on a child’s life.

At the end of the day, Juneteenth is also an opportunity for the country to heal and reflect. Can America cure our racial divide? Or do we just continue to live our lives, business as usual? Please consider these ideas and thoughts as you enjoy and celebrate this Juneteenth holiday.

Brandon is a Customer Service Specialist at HCLS Central Branch who loves reading, football, and taking nice long walks around his neighborhood.

Juneteenth: Freedom Day appears inside a yellow square atop swashes of color in red, black, green, and yellow.

Celebrating Juneteenth

Kristen B. Leave a comment
Juneteenth: Freedom Day appears inside a yellow square atop swashes of color in red, black, green, and yellow.

by Brandon B.

Juneteenth is considered one of the longest-running African American holidays. Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) is the day in 1865 that federal troops traveled to Galveston, Texas to free all enslaved people living in the state. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which abolished slavery in U.S. states that were part of the union. While other citizens were freed from bondage and captivity, the citizens of Texas endured continued hardship and pain. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden established Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

We should not look at Juneteenth as simply a day off from work, but a celebration of freedom, peace, and a continued fight for social equity and equality. Though Juneteenth is a day in which we recognize the end of slavery in the U.S., we must also recognize other injustices and freedoms that are worth fighting for. Racism has been a pervasive and powerful tool in preventing minorities from advancing to elite status and higher growth in society. It took one hundred years after Juneteenth to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which allowed people of color the franchise. Even now, gerrymandering and voter suppression efforts seek to prevent people of color from exercising their right to vote. We continue to witness violence against minorities through law enforcement and vigilantism.

We must answer these questions: Are people really free? Has America freed all its citizens from inequality or are we just repeating history? In order to make progress, we must study our dark past. We can change laws and policies, but America has to first change its heart through empathy and understanding.

A great place to visit and study subject matters like Juneteenth is your public library. HCLS has a variety of books and audio-visual materials in our new Equity Resource Center located at the Central Branch. The Equity Resource Center highlights the contributions of individuals from different cultures and select social groups. Let’s continue to serve others and show empathy towards the less fortunate. Happy Juneteenth, America!

Brandon is a Customer Service Specialist at Central Branch who loves reading, football, and taking nice long walks around his neighborhood.

Book covers for Minor Feeling by Cathy Park Hong and On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed are slightly layered on a brown background.

Reading Human Rights

Kristen B. Leave a comment

You’re invited! Reading Human Rights is a monthly book discussion hosted by the Howard County Office of Human Rights & Equity and Howard County Library System. We read books that promote cultural awareness, diversity, and equity.
Tuesdays at 6:30 pm in person at the Miller Branch

The title appears in large, all caps with fire illustrating the letters. The author's name appears below in cool blue.

May 24: Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
Register at bit.ly/minorfeelingshcls

Poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong fearlessly and provocatively blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to expose fresh truths about racialized consciousness in America. Part memoir and part cultural criticism, this collection is vulnerable, humorous, and provocative—and its relentless and riveting pursuit of vital questions around family and friendship, art and politics, identity and individuality, will change the way you think about our world.

Available as a book, eBook, and eAudiobook.

A stark cover with a faded map has the title in red shadowed letters and a small gold star.

Jun 23: On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
Register at bit.ly/juneteenthdiscuss

The essential, sweeping story of Juneteenth’s integral importance to American history, the book is told by a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and Texas native. Combining personal anecdotes with poignant facts gleaned from the annals of American history, Gordon-Reed shows how, from the earliest presence of Black people in Texas to the day in Galveston on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of legalized slavery in the state, African-Americans played an integral role in the Texas story.

Available as a book, eBook, and eAudiobook.