On the eve of Juneteenth, three young siblings sat crisscrossed on a colorful rug in the multipurpose room of the Clardy Fox Library as library information specialists Tyffanny Hollenbeck read aloud books with messages of acceptance such as Arree Chung’s “Mixed: A Colorful Story.”

While the national holiday falls on June 19, libraries across the city of El Paso have been hosting various events in commemoration of Juneteenth beginning from June 12 through June 21, inviting the community to explore values of freedom, unity and acceptance through storytimes and crafts.

Juneteenth marks a turning point in American history. On June 19, 1865 the Union Army under the leadership of General Gordon Granger made its way down to Galveston, Texas, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and announced that all enslaved people in Texas were free. Over 100 years later, on June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden approved Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, as a national holiday.

Giana Torrez, a public services librarian and University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) alumna, believes it’s important that the national holiday and it’s history is discussed not just in Texas, but across the country.

“A lot of people don’ t know about Juneteenth…When we do story time in general to incorporate literacy and make learning fun through whichever format, it’s important to talk about actual history,” Torrez said. “We can’t be a community if we don’t talk about the wrongs–about making amends in whatever capacity that may be.”

Hollenbeck sees the holiday as a reminder of the way racism runs deeper than some realize.

In observance of the holiday, she shared one of her favorite picture books that addresses discrimination entitled “Sulwe” by Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o, explaining that the book doesn’t just show racism between Black and white communities, but within racial groups as well.

“Juneteenth is so easy to teach because it is such an easy concept to understand that everything is the same,” Hollenbeck said. She then demonstrated this to the children using different colored markers. “These are all the same thing. Even though they are all colors, they all write, they are just different colors.”

For Marisela Flores, who brought her kids to the storytime event, it’s important for her to teach her children open-mindedness.

“I tried to keep the door open for them to explore and question instead of just being in a square,” Flores said.

Her children’s father and grandmother are from Liberia, Africa, a country with historic ties to the United States. Flores explained that in the 1800s, many freed and formerly enslaved Black Americans were relocated to West Africa as part of an effort by the American Colonization Society (ACS) to resettle freed Black people outside of the U.S..

“After a lot of the slaves here in the United States were liberated, they were shipping them to West Africa and a lot of them ended up at the port over in Liberia,” Flores said.

Originally from California herself, Flores expressed that she is happy to see the city of El Paso take steps to celebrate differences within the community.

“I think it’s awesome, I’m not originally from here but my grandparents are, so it’s just amazing how things have evolved, and we are learning more about history. I think it’s really awesome,” Flores said. “Everyone’s becoming more diverse, so I think it’s really cool.”

Most Juneteenth events held by the city of El Paso are hosted by local libraries, offering people of all ages opportunities to get involved and commemorate the holiday.

“The library is for everybody, no matter your socioeconomic status, the color of your skin, anything you can think of you are welcome in the library,” Torrez said.

These Juneteenth events highlight the role libraries play in making history and culture accessible to everyone, ensuring that both children and adults have the opportunity to learn, reflect  and celebrate together.

Evelyn Palma is the editor-in-chief of The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected] and on Instagram @evelynp.media.