On Juneteenth

Harvard professor Annette Gordon-Reed offers a personal journey providing context for Juneteenth, the US national holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, when freedom for enslaved African-Americans arrived in Texas.

Gordon-Reed’s African-American family dates back to Texas enslavement and emancipation. Sharing family stories, she illuminates the horrors of enslavement and the injustices of segregation. One doorway to understanding a sweeping saga is through a single individual, and the author opens that door.