Matia Storey Edwards

In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared more than 3.5 million enslaved people living in Confederate states to be “forever free.” It wasn’t until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, TX, on June 19 two years later, however, that the enslaved first learned of their freedom. That date became known as Juneteenth, first celebrated in 1866, first declared a federal holiday in 2021. This book list is a Juneteenth commemoration in the form of fiction and nonfiction about its history and the long-standing implications of enslavement and the Jim Crow era.

African American culture and experiences are celebrated in this Black History Month booklist. These essential works of forthcoming fiction and nonfiction will enrich collections in the coming months, and they reflect that Black history is made every day: it’s not just a thing of the past. The books on this list were written by both debut and experienced authors, and the topics range from poetry, trauma, enslavement, and freedom, to civil rights, ongoing obstacles for Black people, triumphs, justice, and workplace successes.