Juneteenth and Emancipation with the African American Museum of Iowa

Join us for a presentation from the African American Museum of Iowa on Juneteenth and Emancipation. Though the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, the last enslaved people in the United States were not freed until June 19, 1865, when Union Soldiers arrived in Texas. Join us for this hour-long program to learn what Juneteenth is, how Juneteenth came to be, why Juneteenth was such an important moment in national history, and why and how people continue to celebrate Juneteenth to this day.

Sean Donaldson is the Museum Educator at the African American Museum of Iowa where he is responsible for directing and coordinating the Museum’s programming and education efforts and its traveling resources. He began working at the Museum first as an intern in the Education and Collections Departments before joining the staff as the Operations Coordinator and later transitioning to the Educator role. Sean holds a B.A. in History from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA where he also received a teaching license in the state of Iowa and has contributed to a number of public history projects in and focused upon Iowa.