CERCA SLIDES
Juneteenth
In 2016, teacher and activist Opal Lee, then 89 years old, walked from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. in an effort to make Juneteenth a national holiday. After five years of petitioning, Opal, now called the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” stood beside President Joe Biden as he signed the bill to formally name Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021.
Her incredible story is just one of many students will explore in this week’s CERCA Slides set framed around the question, “How did Juneteenth become a national holiday?”
Paired with the direct instruction lesson, “Analyzing Connections within Informational Texts,” this set is sure to spark courageous thinking and conversations, and action.
CERCA Slides by Grade

Grade 3–5: Let’s Celebrate Emancipation Day & Juneteenth
What ideas does Juneteenth celebrate?(CCSS.RI.3.1–5.6; CCSS.W.3.2–5.2)

Grade 9–10: One Woman's Decades-Long Fight To Make Juneteenth A U.S. Holiday
What obstacles did organizers like Opal Lee face in their quest for national recognition of the Juneteenth holiday? (CCSS.RI.6–8.8)
