Welcome to Litsy!

Libro.fm offered this audiobook for free on June 19th and I scooped it up and gave it a listen. It's a relatively short book, around 3 hours, but goes into the history of Juneteenth as well as the continued effects of slavery in our country afterwards and the author's personal experience as a Black woman growing up in Texas. Very informative and important, showing the integral role of African Americans in Texas history

Thank you to Libro.fm for making this audiobook free for Juneteenth! In this brief but sprawling and powerful exploration of Juneteenth, native Texan and Pulitzer Prize-winning Harvard historian Annette Gordon-Reed weaves together history with her own experience growing up in Texas, uplifting the impact Black people have had on Texas history and providing a larger, more complex, and utterly alive historical and cultural context for the holiday.

This image of Galveston was taken on Nov. 23, 2022, from the International Space Station as it orbited 224 miles above Earth. While President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, word that enslaved people were free did not reach Galveston until well into 1865. Army Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 on June 19, and spontaneous celebrations broke out as word spread. #juneteenth

Got this in San Antonio TX. Great book about the history of Texas and about black people‘s contribution to it, as well as the author experience as a black woman growing up in the state

Sneaking in as much reading as I can at work this week. I‘m hosting book club on this book Thursday. It‘s very moving.
#Juneteenth

Happy #Juneteenth! Check out the suggested reads (short list tagged in comments) from the Natl. Museum of African American History and Culture. #Blitsy

https://nmaahc.si.edu/visit/museum-store/juneteenth-reading-list

“God is love, I said, but art‘s the possibility of forms, and shadows are the source of identity,” — Ralph Ellison, #JUNETEENTH

My June display-celebrating Juneteenth.

Hello all!! Still backed up with letters, but letter writing supervisory buddha is keeping me on task. I hope everyone enjoyed AAPI month!! Now we are in Pride month with Juneteenth!! #pride #queer #juneteenth

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In just 141 pages, Gordon-Reed weaves together history and personal memories to showcase Texas' long struggle with identity, racism, and trying to adapt in changing times. She discusses the roles both Black people and Native Americans played in the creation of TX (and how they were treated), and she chronicles the significance of Juneteenth both in 1865 and today.

An excellent and approachable presentation of painful US/TX history.