Juneteenth

Juneteenth

Juneteenth at LPL

Discover free events, books, and resources exploring Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating when the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.

Please note that all locations will be closed on June 19 in observance. 

Upcoming Events

Juneteenth Staff Picks

Juneteenth Staff Picks

Browse our catalog for books and titles related to Juneteenth, the history of slavery, and African American life in the United States. 

Search The Catalog

Featured Podcasts

Tune into the Turning the Page podcast, where LPL librarians sit down with local and nationally renowned authors to discuss their work, lived experiences, and journeys as writers, or listen to our Tales from the Kentucky Room podcast for stories of Lexington's history told through the Kentucky Room archives.

Segregated Lexington

Segregated Lexington
Rona Roberts and Barbara Sutherland discuss how systemic racism in housing has shaped unequal opportunities for Black residents. They address redlining, realtor steering, and how white allies can understand the past and contribute to repair. 
A Conversation with Mariama J. Lockington

A Conversation with Mariama J. Lockington
Hear Mariama, Stonewall and Schneider Family Book Award winning YA poet and novelist, discuss how being a transracial adoptee shaped her debut novel, For Black Girls like Me.
J. Alexander Chiles: The Fight Against Kentucky’s Separate Coach Law

J. Alexander Chiles: The Fight Against Kentucky’s Separate Coach Law
Learn about the history of Kentucky’s Separate Coach Law and Lexington’s second African American attorney, who took the fight to the US Supreme Court in the 1890s and 1900s. 
Black Enclaves of Lexington

Black Enclaves of Lexington
Learn about Davis Bottom, Adamstown, and Brucetown — three neighborhoods founded by formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. Uncover their history and lasting impact on Lexington. 
In Conversation with Frank X. Walker

In Conversation with Frank X. Walker
We sit down with acclaimed poet, author, and educator Frank X Walker, pioneer of the Affrilachian literary movement and former Kentucky Poet Laureate. This episode is an archive recording of a live event held on February 12, 2026. 
Pralltown

Pralltown
Pralltown is Lexington’s oldest Black neighborhood. Learn about its founding, residents’ fight against destruction, and notable figures like James Herndon (Sweet Evening Breeze), Dodgers player Lou Johnson, and punk leader Tony Briggs.

African American Heritage Walking Tour

A self-guided tour of Downtown Lexington’s African American Heritage Sites. 

Listen to the tour
African American Heritage Walking Tour
African American Heritage Walking Tour

From the Digital Archives

Muhlenberg County Black Marriages Book

Muhlenberg County Black Marriages Book
This collection contains scans of Black Marriage records in 1866 from the Courthouse in Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. 
Black Community News

Black Community News
Searchable newspaper articles and ads for local Black community events, schools, social gatherings, church events, obituaries, and wedding announcements in older local newspapers.
The True American (1845-1847)

The True American (1845-1847)
Select issues of The True American, an anti-slavery newspaper started by Cassius Marcellus Clay in June 1845.
Cyrus Parker Jones Funeral Notices

Cyrus Parker Jones Funeral Notices
First compiled by Cyrus Parker Jones, formerly enslaved by the Parker family, are 667 funeral notices in Lexington from 1806 to 1886. Jones donated his collection to a library trustee, who added to it before donating it to LPL in 1900.
Brown Hocker Collection

Brown Hocker Collection
Photos and realia from African American people and events in Kentucky, primarily from Black schools, churches, and civil rights events, including the 1964 March on Frankfort, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jackie Robinson.