Happy Juneteenth

William Green, ex-slave, San Antonio

Today marks Juneteenth, "the day slavery in the United States effectively ended."

For this reason, Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day) is the perfect occasion to engage in research and reflection. At the University of Washington, the Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project is an important resource for civil rights researchers, including those who are interested in studying the African-American experience.  Here one can find oral histories, maps, and other "resources for exploring the civil rights activism of African Americans in the Pacific Northwest." 

In honor of Juneteenth, why not also take a look at the African American Heritage Sourcebook: A Tribute to Thurgood Marshall?  Another suggestion in this regard would be to read (or reread) this gem of a letter.

Indeed, however you choose to celebrate it, Happy Juneteenth.

(A hat tip to Trent Hill, who assigned "To My Old Master" for his class, Organization of Information and Resources; Image credit: Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-125171 (b&w film copy neg.), from Portraits of African American ex-slaves from the U.S. Works Progress Administration, Federal Writers' Project slave narratives collections, available at http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/99615237/)