Juneteenth 2023: Commemorate & celebrate

Above left: June 2022 Main Library Idea Box exhibit. Above right: Local artist Tia Etu with her Juneteenth-inspired artwork. Read more about The Call.

On Monday, June 19, all library locations will be closed for Juneteenth. This national, state, and Oak Park holiday celebrates African Americans’ freedom from enslavement in the United States.


Juneteenth titles for all ages



Hope of Juneteenth documentary

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day when a U.S. Army general in Galveston, Texas, read orders that all enslaved people were free. This announcement came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed enslaved people.

The locally produced documentary Hope of Juneteenth celebrates the history and joy of Juneteenth, and the promise of hope for the future it brings. The documentary, which our Multicultural Learning Coordinator Juanta Griffin helped make, was directed and produced by Forest Park community leader Marjorie Adam, funded by Riveredge Hospital, and supported by Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins.

Oak Park Juneteenth Proclamation

In 2020, Multicultural Learning Coordinator Juanta Griffin read the Village of Oak Park proclamation to recognize June 19 as Juneteenth every year. It resolves "that the Village of Oak Park supports the celebration of Juneteenth both financially and in spirit from this day forward." Watch the video & read the proclamation »

"How we Juneteenth" & "Juneteenth Jamboree"