“On Juneteenth National Freedom Day, we celebrate the end of race-based chattel slavery in the United States. We celebrate this important event in our political, economic and social history. At the same time, we acknowledge the burden that slavery has left for us all.” –Blanding Watson, President of the Lancaster Branch of NAACP

On Thursday, June 19, join LancasterHistory and the Lancaster Branch of the NAACP at the Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy for a special coffee hour and children’s storytime to celebrate Juneteenth! At 9am, enjoy light breakfast treats before settling down for storytime, featuring two special guests who will read the books Juneteenth for Mazie (by Floyd Cooper) and All Different Now (by Angela Johnson). After storytime, we’ll make a craft for kids to take home.

Juneteenth Coffee Hour & Storytime is free and open to all ages. Book selections are suggested for readers 12 years of age or under. Registration is appreciated to ensure we have craft supplies for everyone. Click here to register online for Juneteenth Coffee Hour & Storytime or call (717) 392-4633 to register over the phone.

Juneteenth Coffee Hour & Storytime will take place at the Stevens & Smith Center, 13-15 E. Vine Str. in Lancaster, formerly 45 S. Queen Str., from 9 – 10am. Please use our main entrance on East Vine Street.

All are invited to join us for a walk to City Hall for the Juneteenth Flag Raising after the program concludes.

About The Books:

Juneteenth for Maizie (Written & Illustrated by Floyd Cooper)

Mazie is ready to celebrate liberty. She is ready to celebrate freedom. She is ready to celebrate a great day in American history. The day her ancestors were no longer slaves. Mazie remembers the struggles and the triumph, as she gets ready to celebrate Juneteenth.

All Different Now (Written by Angela Johnson, Illustrated by E.B. Lewis)

Through the eyes of one little girl, All Different Now tells the story of the first Juneteenth, the day freedom finally came to the last of the slaves in the South. Since then, the observance of June 19 as African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. 

Presented in partnership with the Lancaster Branch of the NAACP