June 18, 2025 (9:30AM-1PM)
Geared for Grades 4 – 12.
Juneteenth is considered the oldest celebration of the end of enslavement in the United States – and an official state holiday here in New York! We will spotlight the events, experiences, and people fundamental to our collective understanding and appreciation of freedom. The holiday is inspired by events that occurred on June 19, 1865, when Union troops brought the message of emancipation and the end of the Civil War to over 250,000 enslaved persons in Texas – more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. These messengers of freedom were met with shock and jubilation.
This self-guided field trip features timed programming throughout the Historic Village. Plan for 2-3 hours on site.
Questions about this program’s content? Contact our Education Team at education@gcv.org!
Alice Faye Duncan
10:30 a.m. & 11:45 a.m.
Join award-winning children’s author Alice Faye Duncan on Village Square! Listen as she tells the story of Opal Lee and presents a sermon delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. just before his death in Memphis from a soon-to-be-published children’s book.
As a motivational speaker and historian, Duncan travels the nation, speaking to children and adults about the American Civil Rights Movement as it happened from 1955 to 1968. Her Juneteenth book, OPAL LEE AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FREE is a bestseller, having sold 100,000 copies since January 2022.
If weather is inclement, program will occur in Brooks Grove Church.
