#emancipation

Many of us are taught that slavery came to an end with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but for enslaved people in Texas, freedom didn’t come until June 19, 1865.

On June 19, 1865, news of emancipation reached the last enslaved person in Galveston, Texas, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, resilience, and Black history and culture.

This Juneteenth, we're highlighting two powerful works by author, educator and activist Booker T. Washington (1856-1915): Up from Slavery and Working with the Hands. Both volumes were published in New York by Doubleday, Page & Company. Originally published in 1901, our copy of Up from Slavery was published in 1902. Our copy of Working with the Hands is a first edition from 1904 and is illustrated with photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952), an American photographer and photojournalist. 

Booker T. Washington’s landmark autobiography, Up from Slavery, chronicles his journey from slavery in Virginia to becoming one of the most influential Black leaders in the United States. The book details his early life, his education at Hampton Institute, and his founding of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now known as Tuskegee University) in Alabama. Washington advocates for self-reliance, industrial education, and racial uplift through dignity and hard work. This text was widely read and continues to be a foundational work in African American literature and history.

A lesser-known sequel to Up from Slavery, Working with the Hands serves as a practical and philosophical follow-up. In it, Washington elaborates on the day-to-day operations, goals, and educational philosophy of the Tuskegee Institute. The book emphasizes the dignity of manual labor and the importance of vocational training as a means of achieving Black economic empowerment in the post-Reconstruction South.

From emancipation to education, Washington’s life and legacy are deeply tied to the ongoing struggle for Black freedom and self-determination. His writings emphasize resilience, practical knowledge, and the power of building a future by hand and by heart.

-View previous Juneteenth posts

Opal Lee walked from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to deliver 1.6 million signatures in support of making Juneteenth a national holiday when she was 89 years old.

She began her walk in September 2016, gathering pledges and signatures along the 1,360-mile route, and arrived in Washington in January 2017. Her Juneteenth walk sparked renewed interest in making the day a federal holiday.

November 26 - On this day we celebrate the life of Sojourner Truth, the trailblazing abolitionist and women's rights activist.

It had been months since Marinette had spoken or seen her parents. They had turned on her like everyone else. They all believed Lila! Mari couldn’t understand why her words held no weight against hers. She wasn't jealous of Lila. She didn't like Adrien; she was dating Damian! She had been pushed aside so much, she left home. She had called Damian with the news and he immediately went to Paris. Now it felt like everything was unraveling.

Marinette kept her arms around Damian, as the officer tried to pry her away from him. Her parents were sobbing how they had been looking for her. Damian pulled her away and struck the officer.

"You-" the officer began.

"Continue to hurt her and I will do more damage to you!" Damian growled.

"Her parents-" the officer began.

"Have no custody over her." Damian sneered.

"She's sixteen!" The officer groaned.

"Marinette is emancipated." Damian snapped back, grabbing documents from his bag.

The police took the documents that had been thrust at him and read them over. Sabine and Tom looked at each other confused, not understanding why paper mattered more than their daughter. The officer sighed and handed him back the papers.

"You are aiding in a kidnapping." Damian growled out.

"I deeply apologize, Sir." The officer replied.

"Why are you apologizing to him?" Tom demanded, "Our daughter-"

"Is legally emancipated. " the officer finished.

"What does that mean?" Sabine asked.

The officer looked between the couple, "It means the court decided you were unfit parents and you no longer have guardianship over her. You can't tell her what to do and I can't make her go home with you."

Tom and Sabine stared at the officer in disbelief.

"She's our daughter!" Tom cried out.

"It's signed by the mayor." the officer stated.

"But we're good parents!" Sabine shouted, "Tell him!"

Marinette glared at them, "No, you're not. The only thing you taught me was to be silent and to be beaten."

The crowd that had formed, began to whisper.

"You never stopped the bullying! I told you, for years, that I was being bullied and you told me to 'be nice to them and it might get better'." Mari shouted, "I told you it wasn't one person, but multiple! I told you that I wasn't friends with people and you assumed we had a 'fight' and I would forgive them! You never listened to my side, only them! I came home with bruises and you asked if I tripped! I told you I was beaten and you asked if I hit my head! I told you I was being harassed at school and you did nothing!"

"I didn’t feel safe anymore! Not at school. Not at home." She continued, "So I did something! I stood up or myself! You're only hear because you were getting questioned! I haven't been to the bakery in months! I haven’t gone back to that school in months; I applied for school online."

Marinette sobbed, "I have customers, who buy my fashion design. I have enough money that I can pay for everything. I have my own bank account. You taught me how to file taxes; I don't need you. I needed love!"

She felt Damian pull her closer into his arms.

"We'll get you home, Habibiti." Damian whispered.

"Who is he?" Tom asked.

"My boyfriend; we've been dating for two years." Mari announced, "I was bulied because I was 'out of my mind with jealousy' over a classmate's boyfriend. I have Damian. I don't need anyone else…..and I never will."

Damian picked her up, "Let's get you to a hospital. I'd prefer you were checked out. You ran a lot. You have bruising on your arm and perhaps a sprain."

Marinette let Damian carry her away. The officer sighed and walked away. The Dupain-Chengs looked on as their daughter was taken away by her boyfriend. They could see he cared immensly about her and from the look on their daughter's face, she was deeply in love.

Sabine looked at her husband, with teary eyes, "He'll take care of her. He's stepping up, where we failed. We'll leave her light on so she can come home where she's ready."

"Marinette!" Tim called out, halting their movements, "If you need the rest of your things, you can get them. If not, they'll be at home when you're ready!"

"Damian is my home." She whispered back, "As for what I left behind, I'm not ready. Maybe someday, but not now."

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While the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, the news didn’t reach Galveston, Texas until two years later, thus starting the celebration of Juneteenth. Our library owns an original pocket proclamation that was specifically printed by John Murray Forbes to be carried by Union soldiers to distribute to the formerly enslaved. To learn more about this pocket proclamation, take a look at this article: https://time.com/5954044/emancipation-proclamation-books/