Juneteenth Resources and Events
Juneteenth (June 19th) is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in America. After the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, owners in many isolated areas kept word from the people they had enslaved so they would not flee. On June 19, 1865, some of the last enslaved people in America were freed when the news, at last, reached Confederate Galveston, Texas. Since that day, Juneteenth has been celebrated to honor the African Americans who built this nation.
Our theme this year is Living the Story of Freedom. We encourage all houses of worship to use the theme in the most appropriate way for your community. Additionally, the FVRJ leaders have written a Unity Prayer for Faith Communities in Celebration of Juneteenth: Living the Story of Freedom. We encourage and hope you will use it in your faith community setting.
Children's Resources by FVRJ team member Jean Swenson
Juneteenth Learning for All Ages
United Methodist Juneteenth Resource
-- Equity Reflection – It's In Your Hands, Honoring Fannie Lou Hamer (video)
-- Advocating For Change (document)
-- Juneteenth Prayer Service (document)
Communion Liturgy - General Commission on Religion and Race
