For the last two years, we've been on break on Juneteenth. But in our first year, we had our regular programmed school through June. Boy, was it an excellent and hot time! But the best part of going through June was celebrating our students' birthdays and enjoying a Juneteenth celebration. While we don't typically celebrate holidays or specific months as a school, we made an exception for Juneteenth. There is no way we allow June 19 to go by as usual when it is grounded in liberation, culture, food, and celebrating the Black American experience. Although we are not in school for Juneteenth, we still want to honor the day. Below, Ashley Causey Golden, co-founder of Gather Forest School and founder of Ancestor's Seeds, discusses how Montessori principles can guide your child's Juneteenth experience. The activities can be done indoors, but the outdoor experience is definitely next level.
Juneteenth, celebrated annually on June 19th, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. On this day in 1865, enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas finally received word of the Emancipation Proclamation - over two years after it was issued. Juneteenth honors the perseverance and resilience of generations fighting for freedom.While a single day of observance can be meaningful, I would love to share how using the Montessori philosophy can make Juneteenth a lived experience at home connecting cultural traditions and history within your home or learning space rhythms.A Meal Table Altar
Creating a meal table altar can help the family center around the power of food and the intertwined history of slavery. Many of the foods that we enjoy today in America came from the knowledge and labor of Black bodies due to the transatlantic slave trade that went on for over 400 years and removed over 12.5 million Africans from their place of origin. This is one hands-on way to bring Juneteenth's significance into your home. Children can collaborate with parents to research and gather meaningful symbols of African American history and foodways. Including traditional vegetables, fruits, and herbs and adding recipes that have been shared and passed down. Decorating the altar opens a dialog about the painful legacy of enslavement that brought many of these foods to America through forced labor. The altar creates a sacred space to reflect on what has been overcome and sacrificed. Beyond the altar, there are numerous ways to experientially learn about Juneteenth following the Montessori method:
Cooking Traditional Foods: Exploring the history behind dishes sparks cultural curiosity. Cookbooks like Jubilee and The Black Family Cookbooks have stories weaved into them that provide historical context to the food as well as the cultural experiences of the author(s). While cooking, you can practice practical life, math, science, and language skills, as well as concentration and focus.
Music and Dance: From spirituals to modern genres, music transcends eras to celebrate the African American experience. Creating rhythms along with engaging with body movements allows for expression and feelings of freedom and joy. You can also have younger children listen closely to hear what instruments they hear. For your older learners in space, have them think about meaning of the song.
Ask questions such as:
"What is the singer or musician communicating?"
"What emotions do you feel when listening to this song?"
For those with children or students in space that are passed 6 years old, you can create historical touchpoints by either having the child research or research with you, "What was happening in world (locally and/or globally) at that time when the song was released?" How similar or different are the times now?
Storytelling: Reading books or inviting elders to share oral histories creates pathways of remembering one's past. Juneteenth is a beautiful mixture of hope, perseverance, struggle, joy, simplicity, and family. Having stories reflect that make the celebration even more personal.
Whether cooking a soulful meal, dancing to the rhythmic sounds of Black music, or listening to the stories of our past, present, and future, there is room for you to remember, celebrate and honor those who walked before you.
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