The Color of Juneteenth

 As we mourn the brutal loss of George Food, Breonna Taylor, Ahmad Arbery and many other beloved African-Americans, this Juneteenth is especially significant. Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 and commemorates the day that the news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved Africans/African descendants in the state of Texas in 1865 (two years after it was originally signed in 1863).  

While this historical document was supposed to mark the end of the horrific period of slavery in America, unfortunately we are still burdened by the vestiges of it today.  As we process the many suffered injustices of African-Americans, we will continue to use art to help soothe some of the pain. 

While there are many colors used to decorate for Juneteenth celebrations, the color red has great significance. The use of red in the food and drink served during Juneteenth celebrations,  can be traced back to West Africa. We have created several Juneteenth themed art resources: one of them uses the color red as a focal element. 

Use our Juneteenth Commemorative Plate Art Lesson as an individual or group art activity. Click on the image to learn more.

​This Juneteenth Coloring Set is great resource to add to your curriculum.  

Juneteenth Paper Lantern

Here's another simple, yet fun creative project you can create for Juneteenth. We used two designs from the Juneteenth Coloring Set and simple art materials that we got from the dollar store.

Materials

• 16 Red Popscicle Sticks
• Wax Paper
• Pencil
• Black Sharpie
• Permanent Markers
• Whole Puncher
• Glitter Paper
• Liquid Glue
• Glue Dots
• Scissors

1. We made 4 squares using red popsicle sticks and glue dots. 2.Then we placed them next to each other on the wax paper and traced the inside of each square. 3. We traced two of the symbols from the coloring set in the middle of each square using the black sharpie.

4. We colored each symbol with the permanent markers. 5. Then we glued the red frames around each picture. 6. We punched out some dots from the glitter paper to decorate the frames. 7. Finally, we folded the frames to make the lantern and used the glue dots to hold the opened edges together..

You can add paper or silk flowers on top of the paper lantern for added pizazz.

You can use these paper lanterns as centerpieces at your Juneteenth celebration. Make sure to explore our website for more great art lesson and resources.