As America marks its 250th anniversary, perhaps no holiday speaks to the true meaning of freedom quite like Juneteenth.

Juneteenth dates back to June 19, 1865, but wasn’t designated a federal holiday until June 17, 2021. It’s more than just another paid federal holiday;  it marks the freedom that many enslaved Black people were denied when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. It wasn’t until Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved Black people they were free. That two-year gap is why Juneteenth is often referred to as America’s second Independence Day.

Though Juneteenth has been marked for half a decade with parades, festivals, and cookouts nationwide, this year’s holiday arrives at a particularly polarizing moment in the country. In February, Post Falls, Idaho, voted to remove Juneteenth from its official paid holiday calendar, replacing it with Columbus Day. That same month, Long Beach, California’s annual waterfront Juneteenth celebration was canceled indefinitely. The message came through loud and clear.

In challenging times, Americans have always found solace in arts and entertainment. The arts don’t just entertain; they educate, enlighten, and engage. And when it comes to Juneteenth, documentaries tell the story better than anything else. The docs below dig deep into Juneteenth and the larger history of Black Americans, from slavery to the Civil Rights era.

Juneteenth: The Long Road to Freedom — A 29-minute PBS documentary that examines the history and legacy of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth — A 27-minute educational documentary produced by the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics for Annenberg Classroom. It’s available on the Annenberg Classroom’s YouTube channel.

Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom — A 1-hour-and-15-minute documentary produced by Our Daily Bread Voices Collection and Our Daily Bread Media. Several clips are featured on PBS, including What Was Slavery Like?, The First Juneteenth, Freemen’s Town, and How Is Juneteenth Relevant Today?

What Is Juneteenth and Why Does It Matter? A Short History — A short documentary from the Journey to American Democracy series by Harvard-educated historian Heather Cox Richardson and produced for Dixie Bull Studios. It gives viewers an unflinching look at Juneteenth and rejects revisionist history.

13th — A Netflix documentary directed by Golden Globes-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay. The film examines the cause and effect of slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and mass incarceration on Black Americans. While it’s not a film about Juneteenth, it still offers a powerful dissection of the post-emancipation era.

Eyes on the Prize: Parts I & II — A two-part documentary series by Henry Hampton, narrated by Julian Bond, that traces Black American history from emancipation through the Civil Rights era. It’s one of the most critically acclaimed docuseries on the subject and it’s available on streaming platforms.