In celebration of the new federal Juneteenth holiday, What Juneteenth Means (To Me) is a 2023 poetry contest for grades 8 through 12 to encourage young writers in Texas to explore the events that make this day in American and Texas history such a stirring and significant one. The contest, presented by the 2021-2022 Poet Laureate of Texas, Cyrus Cassells, and funded by the Mellon Foundation and the Academy of American Poets, offers cash prizes to the top ten poems that explore the question “What does Juneteenth mean to me?” 

Students can write poems that explore the question “What does Juneteenth mean to me?” in any way they see fit. But in case their creativity needs a jumpstart, this podcast offers Juneteenth history as well as four poems and writing prompts based on those poems that can help inspire them to write. The poems we will examine are “The White Iris Beautifies Me” by Cyrus Cassells, “Litany at the Tomb of Frederick Douglass” by Martín Espada, “this I know for sure” by Jaki Shelton Green, and “Juneteenth” by Marilyn Nelson. 

Further information, including full contest details, can be found on our website www.whatjuneteenthmeans.com.