Juneteenth has been celebrated by Black communities since June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and free the remaining enslaved African Americans there. Commemorating the end of slavery in the country, it has been recognized as a US federal holiday since 2021, encouraging more Americans to celebrate it as the country’s second independence day.

One of the effects of the increased national attention on the holiday has been an explosion of museum programming to commemorate it. Some museums, particularly those with a focus on African American history and culture, have long celebrated the occasion, but the breadth and ambition of programming have grown to impressive heights in recent years, encompassing entertainment, education, and community engagement. Here is just a small selection of some of the programs museums have in store to celebrate Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

Inspiration for how you or your museum might get involved:

Get inspiration from other museums celebrating Juneteenth:

• The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture hosted a Juneteenth Community Day themed “Freedom, Movement, and Migration” with activities like story times, flag designing, presentations, a special cafe menu, book signing, and a concert, engaging people of all ages in celebrating Juneteenth’s significance in American history.
• The Reading Public Museum offered special activities and programs in honor of Juneteenth, including an educational lecture, family day, and special admissions. The museum also hosts special documentary screenings as a continuation of the festivities.
• The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute threw a celebration with live performances, guided tours of the city’s Civil Right’s District, children’s activities, live genealogy workshops (in collaboration with community partners) to help African Americans trace their family histories, and more.
• Weeksville Heritage Center held a two-day Juneteenth Food Festival on its grounds, in collaboration with Black-Owned Brooklyn, a publication that helps readers discover local Black-owned businesses. It featured vendors offering cuisine from across the African diaspora; a marketplace of Black-owned cultural goods, educational activities and performances; and sets from Black queer and trans DJs.
• The Atlanta History Center tied its Juneteenth event into a celebration of Black culinary history and America’s pastime, baseball. Themed “A Celebration of Togetherness Through Food and Family,” the event features on-campus activities, cooking demonstrations, museum theater, and exhibitions, including More Than Brave: The Life of Henry Aaron and Barbecue Nation, highlighting Juneteenth’s legacy and underscoring the joyous union of family, food, and community.
• The DuSable Museum of African American History offered a Juneteenth yoga and sound bowl experience in partnership with Prison Yoga Chicago, a nonprofit organization that provides trauma-informed yoga as a rehabilitative tool and a form of social activism for individuals impacted by the criminal legal system, offering a unique and reflective way to honor the day.
• The Greensboro History Museum held a guided Juneteenth bike tour called “Green Book Along the Greenway,” taking cyclists of all ages on a three-mile exploration of historic locations and currently operating sites featured in The Negro Motorist Green Book. This book provided African American travelers with a guide to safe spaces across the U.S., including more than a dozen sites in Greensboro.
• The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit held in-person and online events on the themes of education, economic independence, and community engagement—including a morning stretch session, dance performances, information tables from community partners focused on information about freedom and equality in the Black community, and a free concert showcasing the diversity of Black music, from spirituals to hip hop and folk.
• The Please Touch Museum provides a range of programming celebrating the Black experience for its children and family audience, with story times, West African drumming performances, printmaking crafts, and interactive workshops.
• The National Archives Museum displays in its galleries the original Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln and General Order #3, which announced the news of emancipation to Texans. The museum has also hosted an interactive performance featuring Playback Theater/Verbal Gymnastics, highlighting a cast of professional actors, musicians, and storytellers who captivate and engage the audience through innovative theater and storytelling.

Additional resources:

Digital Toolkit from the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Virtual Bookshelf: Juneteenth from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“Juneteenth” from the Library of Congress offers extensive additional resources.

Has your museum honored or celebrated Juneteenth?

Consider sharing with the field by pitching an idea about your museum’s work with your community, how your museum worked internally on the initiative or program, or another relevant angle for museum professionals. We are always looking for posts that empower museum professionals to do their best work; speak to a wide breadth of museum types, sizes, and disciplines; and reveal new, surprising ideas and connections. Read the Editorial Guidelines and make your pitch.

About Juneteenth:

Juneteenth

On the historical significance of Juneteenth:

“The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth“ from the National Museum of African American History and Culture