The Oak Bluffs Library is closed Saturday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. Governor Baker signed legislation making Juneteenth a state holiday in Massachusetts in 2020, and President Biden did the same on a federal level in 2021.
Juneteenth – an combination of the words June and Nineteenth – is the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. According to the National Museum for African American History and Culture, “On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. He informed the enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. This momentous occasion has been celebrated as Juneteenth — a combination of June and 19 — for over 150 years.”
The Oak Bluffs Library carries a broad collection of African American history and research resources. Come in or call our Reference Librarian at 508-693-9433 when we’re open for reference guidance.
Happy Juneteenth!