How to Celebrate Juneteenth This Year

Juneteenth is a day filled with rodeos, parades and street fairs. At these events, you can expect music, performances and food. While the pandemic has shifted the way we celebrate, many events are popping up this year. States like Texas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and New York already have information on how to join the festivities as early as June 10th.

In hopes of educating the country about Juneteeth, in 2016, at the age of 89-years-old, activist Opal Lee began an annual 2.5-mile walk in honor of the 2.5 years it took for the official word of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach the enslaved people of Fort Lee, Texas. Last year, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making it a federal holiday. So join the "Grandmother of Juneteenth" and register to walk alongside Lee in her hometown or participate virtually in your neighborhood.

No events in your areas? Try a small gathering at home instead. The holiday has always been about community and bringing people together. So fire up the grill and host your own barbecue shindig. Invite your family and friends over and enjoy a day of fun games, delicious food and great music.

Nothing says celebration like food, food and more food. You can opt for regular ol’ barbecue favorites or try your hand at traditional dishes associated with the holiday (and luckily we have a few cookbooks to get you started). Main courses like pork, jerk chicken or lamb are typically the star of the show. Plus most meals are traditionally red to represent the resilience of the enslaved— which is why strawberry soda and red velvet cake is kinda a staple at every party. (Oh, and if cooking isn’t your thing, order from a Black-owned restaurant instead.)

Music brings good vibes to any surrounding—plus June is also Black Music Month. Whatever genre you enjoy, put together a playlist highlighting your favorite artists. And if you’re ready to expand your song choices, Spotify has plenty of playlists like Black History Salute, The Black Power Mixtape and Queen that highlights past and present Black artists. We also made a playlist of our own featuring bops that celebrate Black love, joy and pride.

Whether you want to brush up on your history or dive into a new world, pick up a book written by a Black author. Books by Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and Ralph Ellison are just a few iconic Black authors and poets. Also, check out your local Black-owned bookstore (or buy from them online) and browse through their collections. From fun picture books (like The ABCs of Black History Juneteenth for Mazie and Let's Celebrate Juneteenth) to YA novels (like The Hate U Give and Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America) there’s a book out there for whole family.

Immerse yourself in art and culture at a museum. Explore The Studio Museum, The National Museum of African American History and Culture, The National Civil Rights Museum and the Northwest African American Museum, to name just a few. Find a museum or cultural center near you (or even browse through sites with virtual exhibits to check out right at home).

If you have some kiddos, teach them about Juneteenth through arts and crafts activities. Crafting a Fun Life offers six ways to recreate the Juneteenth flag, which became a symbol of liberation and community since the late '90s. Gather some supplies and walk them through the significance of the flag before decorating your home in their crafts.

Use this day to give back. There are organizations, mutual aids, bail funds and charities committed to fighting for the Black community every single day. Non-profits like Black Lives Matter, The Loveland Foundation and Justice for Breonna Taylor are a great start to giving whatever you can (especially Act Blue, The Bail Project and the Mutual Aid Hub that splits your donation into many community funds). There are also a bunch of petitions that need your attention, so Juneteenth is the perfect opportunity to make a difference.

The first celebrations of Juneteenth were actually political rallies. One of the key things was helping freed enslaved people register to vote. Don’t just wait until the presidential elections to get involved—help folks register to vote, become a poll worker or get in touch with organizations like Rock The Vote, HeadCount and Fair Fight that need volunteers to spread awareness about voting rights and the importance of voting at a local, state and/or national level.

Although Juneteenth has been celebrated for more than 150 years, it's still a new national holiday that some might not know too much about. You can join a guided tour around Galveston, Texas (aka the birthplace of Juneteenth) to learn and see significant sites where the newly freed Texans were welcomed in 1865. The city will also be hosting a lecture series featuring historians, writers and guest speakers to teach and discuss the history. But if you can't make a trip to Texas, you can learn all about Juneteenth through educational videos, a reading list created by the National Museum of African American History & Culture or listen to a day-long symposium on Juneteenth hosted by the Library of Congress.