Green Juneteenth Reading List 2022 compiled by Laura Zarate, Dripping Springs Positive Change

The events of these past two years have made it clearer than ever that racism, discrimination, and inequality cause ongoing harm and continue to put lives at risk.  The enhanced sharing of untold or undertold experiences has helped promote a better understanding of our collective history, and of all the precious lives that helped build this nation. On this first anniversary of Juneteenth being formally designated a federal holiday, and just three months after the 200th anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s birth, we invite all to join in local Juneteenth events, and to learn more about the significance of June 19, 1865 and the intersection of Juneteenth with accessible green spaces by reading some of the contents of the Green Juneteenth Reading List endorsed by the following groups:

Black Outside Inc. – San Antonio

Hays County Friends of the Night Sky
Hill Country Alliance

North Texas Master Naturalist
Sententia Vera Cultural Hub –  Dripping Springs
Voices at the Table – Wimberley

About the image above: The plants included are among those now being planted in Juneteenth Freedom and Emancipation gardens across the nation, and native flowers found along the Nueces strip of the Underground Railroad to Mexico, through which close to 10,000 enslaved persons travelled to freedom. The Nueces strip is a regional area between the Nueces River in Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande, and Laredo. The Barred Owl image is included in honor of American abolitionist and pioneer naturalist Harriet Tubman who many think used the call of this owl to alert freedom seekers that it was OK, or not OK, to come out of hiding and continue their journey.