The Tennessee State Museum announced that it will celebrate Juneteenth this weekend with a variety of free activities for Tennessee families.
Known as Juneteenth, this holiday commemorates the day the Union Army enforced the Emancipation Proclamation in the southern United States on June 19, 1865.
Last month, Governor Bill Lee signed a bill that makes the day a statewide paid holiday.
While #Juneteenth is officially celebrated on June 19, the Museum will celebrate the day with a day-long event on Saturday, June 10. This year’s celebration, “Looking to the Past to Empower the Future,” will feature events throughout the day. Learn more: https://t.co/YEDPNqVIql pic.twitter.com/beY1gmB8Ta
— Tennessee State Museum (@tnstatemuseum) June 1, 2023
A day-long event will take place at the Tennessee State Museum this Saturday, June 10, to celebrate Juneteenth, which is officially celebrated on June 19. The museum’s day-long event theme is “Looking to the Past to Empower the Future.”
The event will feature an edition of the museum’s TN Writers | TN Stories series with New York Times bestselling author Sheree Renée Thomas, known for her part of the award-winning editorial team of the book, “Africa Risen.”
As part of our Juneteenth celebration, we will explore an anthology of thirty-two original stories with @blackpotmojo, part of the award-winning editorial team of "Africa Risen" (Tordotcom). Learn more and RSVP: https://t.co/Z5ocnYCQ2m pic.twitter.com/F9eRFnoJra
— Tennessee State Museum (@tnstatemuseum) June 4, 2023
The museum will also host an “In Conversation” event with panelists discussing “beginner steps and best practices for preserving your own family history through material culture.” The panelists to be present at the event include Gordon Belt, Director of Public Services at Tennessee State Library & Archives; Jo Ann McClellan, founder and President of the African American Heritage Society of Maury County; Serina Gilbert, Executive Director of Promise Land Community Club; and Tranae Chatman, Tennessee State Museum curator of social history.
In addition, the museum will hold free, family-friendly storytime and craft activities throughout the day for guests, including a dance, poetry, and music hour followed by a special panel discussion on preserving Black family history.
Activities at the museum will begin at 10:00 a.m.
For those unable to attend the event, the museum currently offers an online exhibit called “Preserving African American History and Material Culture.”
For more information on exhibitions and events, visit tnmuseum.org.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Tennessee State Library and Archives” by Rogerscas80. CC BY-SA 4.0.
