Juneteeth, also known a Freedom Day and Emancipation Day, is a holiday celebrated on June 19th in the United States that commemorates the day in 1865 when freedom of enslaved people in Texas was finally proclaimed and enforced. We've compiled a list of abolitionist biographies that you can read with your family to learn about some of the people who fought to end slavery in the United States. Some are picture books you can read with young children, others are great for beginning readers, and others are more advanced biographies for teens and adults. We also included a book about the Emancipation Proclamation, for older readers, that covers the people, times and events that led to freedom.

Juneteenth band. Photograph by Grace Murray Stephenson of celebrations in Eastwoods Park, Austin, 1900.