Juneteenth Resources

Hello colleagues, Juneteenth, the celebration of the liberation of African Americans from slavery, is held every year on June 19. The Teach for America site features a list of instructional resources that may be useful to teachers who want to focus on this important historical day in their classroom.

Since I plan to teach a lesson on Juneteenth, and I love using videos in class, I checked out what was available on YouTube. I located two videos that could be useful.

  • Juneteenth: What You Need to Know (3:25) This short video is presented by Professor of History and African American Studies Marcia Chatelain from Georgetown University. Professor Chatelain speaks slowly and her words appear on the screen in large letters. I think this video could be used with high beginners. I like how the video is carefully organized into different topics which could be taken up one at a time --especially in a class with low level English learners.
  • Juneteenth: Freedom at Last (5.30) This video features individuals from across the US talking about celebrating Juneteenth and why this day is so important. It would be suitable for a class of learners at the intermediate or advanced level.

Not surprisingly, there are several more videos of varying lengths on Juneteenth on YouTube, so if you find one you like, please share it with us here. Let us know how you plan to focus on this special holiday in your classroom.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP