Notes
Scribblings on the history of stationery, education and technique, product news, events and more.
Juneteenth: Read-Alouds and Letter-Writing
Station N°5 celebrates and observes 2025 Juneteenth, commemorating the day that Union soldiers (finally) informed freedpeople in Galveston, Texas that they were, indeed, free. President Abraham Lincoln formally signed the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1, 1863; however, freedpeople in Galveston were informed two years later, on June 19, 1865. Though many Texans have been celebrating this day since then, Juneteenth became a U.S. federal holiday on June 17, 2021.
A brief history of African American writing stations
Station°5 is inspired in part by African American writing stations of the 19th and early 20th centuries. These stations were set up informally and formally — from schools and churches to homes — to help freed people practice the art and craft of handwriting and penmanship. Good penmanship was seen as a marker of intellect and a pathway toward freedom and uplift.