Celebrate and Honor Juneteenth with PBS NC

What is Juneteenth? 

Every year on June 19, our nation commemorates the day when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, almost three years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the proclamation. Slaveholders in Texas had kept the information to themselves, extending the period of violent exploitation of enslaved African Americans. The following year, in 1866, a celebration was held in Texas, the first Juneteenth observance to recognize freedom from slavery in the U.S. 

Juneteenth became a federal holiday is 2021 after the U.S. Congress passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. 

This year, honor and celebrate Juneteenth with documentaries and specials that explore the history of slavery, emancipation and the ongoing pursuit of freedom on PBS NC and the PBS app.

NC WEEKEND

Oberlin Rising 

Join host Deborah Holt Noel on a visit to the Oberlin Rising Sculpture Park in Raleigh, a public art space honoring the historic Oberlin Village, one of North Carolina’s most significant Black communities. The video explores the history, artistry and legacy behind the sculptures, with reflections from residents, descendants and artist Thomas Sayre. 

Watch NC Weekend, Thursdays, 9 PM on PBS NC. Streaming now on the PBS app.

Oberlin: A Village Rooted in Freedom

Discover how a historic preservation project helped recover the story of a once-thriving town near Raleigh built after the Civil War by formerly enslaved and free Black people. Oberlin had more than 1,200 inhabitants before being paved over in the name of progress. The renovation of two 1880s houses by Preservation North Carolina has exposed remarkable stories about the families who lived there. 

Watch Oberlin: A Village Rooted in Freedom, streaming now on the PBS app.

American Coup: Wilmington 1898 

American Coup: Wilmington 1898 tells the little-known story of a deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city in 1898. Stoking fears of “Negro Rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington’s democratically-elected, multi-racial government. 

Watch American Coup: Wilmington 1898, streaming now on the PBS app. 

Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom 

A Black man is troubled by the legacy of American slavery and the misuse of Christianity to justify it. He travels throughout Texas and discovers how the Juneteenth holiday reveals the hope and courage that empowered the formerly enslaved and their descendants to fight for freedom in an often unjust society. 

Watch Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom, streaming now on the PBS app. 

Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts 

Established by Congress, the 14th Amendment promised citizenship in exchange for enlistment, prompting many African American men. They were denied due to Jim Crow laws but still served. The film examines the profound and often-contradictory roles played by Buffalo Soldiers in U.S. history, and how they fought on two sets of front lines: military conflicts abroad and civil rights struggles at home. 

Watch Local, USA’s “Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts,” streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport. 

Reconstruction: America After the Civil War 

Reconstruction: America After the Civil War explores the transformative years following the American Civil War, when the nation struggled to rebuild itself in the face of profound loss, massive destruction and revolutionary social change. The twelve years that composed the post-war Reconstruction era (1865-77) witnessed a seismic shift in the meaning and makeup of our democracy.

Watch Reconstruction: America After the Civil War, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport. 

MOLLY OF DENALI

A Qyah Juneteenth & The Mystery of the Missing Meat

"A Qyah Juneteenth" is about when Trini hears there's never been a Juneteenth celebration in Qyah, she decides to plan one with Molly and Tooey! After realizing Qyah doesn't have the special foods and activities she had in Texas, Trini wonders, will the holiday be the same? Followed by "The Mystery of the Missing Meat," when a handful of items mysteriously disappear from the Trading Post, Molly and Tooey decide to investigate. Together, they gather clues and interrogate potential suspects around Qyah.

Watch Molly of Denali "A Qyah Juneteenth & The Mystery of the Missing Meat," Friday, 6/19, 1 PM on PBS NC and 3 PM on Rootle. Streaming now on YouTube, pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App.