Dear BGC Community,

Today we are bringing you a special Juneteenth Edition of 86th Street Stories. Two years after the end of the Civil War and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, the “last” slaves in Texas learned of their emancipation and were set free on June 19th or “Juneteenth.” We appreciate Bard College president Leon Botstein’s encouragement that we “utilize this pause from traditional work duties as an opportunity to engage, support, and invest in causes that affirm Black Lives Matter and the solidarity within our pluralistic nation.” Take a look at BGC’s running Collaborative Resource List, and those listed below, for ways to learn more about the holiday.

For More Reading on Juneteenth

• The Story of Juneteenth
• “When Peace Come”: Teaching the Significance of Juneteenth

New York City Juneteenth Events

• Honor Juneteenth at the Brooklyn Museum
• First Annual Juneteenth March on NYC Hall

Connect Virtually

• From home experience the material culture of Black America with 36 must-see objects at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
• Please enjoy Chapter One of Pat Kirkham’s Women Designers in the USA 1900-2000, titled “Diversity and Difference”.
• Please join us on Tuesday, June 30, at 3 pm for the next BGC Town Hall. Visit the Ask BGC form here.