June: 5 Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth With Your Family
https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/5-ways-to-celebrate-juneteenth
Now that Juneteenth is officially a federal holiday in the United States, it’s the perfect time to observe Juneteenth as a family. Juneteenth celebrates the freedom of the last group of enslaved people in the United States. It was announced to the people in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 – more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
On “Sesame Street,” Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, kindness and love. In this spirit, my family enjoys making crafts, attending local celebrations, and supporting small Black-owned businesses to honor this celebration of liberation.
Looking for ways to honor this holiday with your children? Here are five ways to celebrate Juneteenth together as a family.
1. Read about Juneteenth
Together, you can learn about Juneteenth and why it’s important to celebrate. Take a trip to your local library, order books online, or purchase from a local bookstore. There are so many books available that discuss Juneteenth or feature Black characters. I recommend Juneteenth for Mazie. My sons love that book! You can have a discussion about the book with your child or work together to jot down what you learned. (Looking for more books to celebrate Juneteenth and Black history? Check out this round-up.)
2. Have an outdoor cookout
Just like any holiday, Juneteenth is all about enjoying good food! My family likes to eat Caribbean food as well as southern classics. Make sure to incorporate red food and drinks like red velvet cake or strawberry soda. It represents sacrifice from our ancestors and is inspired by popular staples across the diaspora. Invite your child to the grocery store to go shopping for the cookout. They can count all the items on the list to purchase or weigh fruits or vegetables on the scale in the store. At home, let your child help with the decorations or gathering plates and utensils.
3. Create kid-friendly crafts
Have a craft party! You can make a craft stick Juneteenth Pan-African flag. Many people in the Black community celebrate Juneteenth with these colors because they represent pride and freedom. Have your child paint craft sticks red, black and green then glue them to a jumbo craft stick to create the flag. Your family can also make a Juneteenth cardboard flag. The colors are the same as the United States flag because former enslaved people and their descendants are also Americans.
4. Attend a local celebration
Attending a local Juneteenth event is a great opportunity to meet other families and build relationships with people from different backgrounds. Last year, I brought my family to a celebration in a nearby community because I wanted to support local Black-owned vendors. They had different food trucks, bounce houses and other fun activities. Check to see if your neighborhood is hosting an event. You can also visit your county or city website to see what they have planned.
5. Support a Black-owned business
Shopping small is a great way to support your community. Create a list with your child featuring three Black-owned businesses to visit for Juneteenth. If you’re in the Tampa Bay area, you can check out this directory. Here is a directory for businesses around America. Once you make a purchase, snap a picture at the shop or restaurant. Then create a digital scrapbook of your experience.
Juneteenth is a joyous celebration, but can be difficult to grasp, too. There is no perfect way to talk to children about race and racism. These topics are complex issues that can be hard for younger children to grasp.
In the"PBS KIDS Talk About: Race & Racism" special, PBS KIDS spoke with real families and had conversations about racial identity, anti-Black racism, and how it is important for all of us — children and parents alike — to actively work towards building a more equitable society. Check out this discussion guide.
Karimah is the creator and editor of the blog, Crafting a Fun Life. She shares fun art projects and family-friendly activities for parents and caregivers. She also shares fun holiday crafts with viewers of the local TV networks as well as a local parenting magazine. When she's not creating content or crafting, she enjoys playing online word games, spending quality time with her husband, two boys and dachshund, baking cookies, traveling, getting pampered at the nail salon and enjoying sweet treats.
