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America’s Newest Holiday: Understanding and Celebrating Juneteenth

A holiday that has long been recognized among Black communities in the United States is now being celebrated more and more by all races, nationalities, and religions since it was declared an official federal holiday last year.

"This is a time for education, reflection and acknowledging a period of history that has shaped, and continues to shape, our society,” says Jerri A. Harwell, chair of the Department of English, Linguistics and Writing Studies.

Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) is also known as African American Emancipation Day. It marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed.

The troops’ arrival came two and a half years after signing the Emancipation Proclamation. In Galveston, General Gordon Granger read the proclamation that stated all enslaved people were free; this was news that the enslaved people were unaware of until this reading. The celebration that followed in Galveston has become a tradition lasting now for 156 years throughout the United States.

Celebrating Juneteenth on Campus

On Wednesday, June 22, a celebratory event will be held for the public on SLCC’s Redwood Campus from 6-8 p.m. in the Oak Room in the Student Center. SLCC’s campuses will be closed on Monday, June 20, to recognize the federal holiday.

Copper Hills High School Black Student Union, dancing.

“We are the most diverse college in the state and by celebrating this holiday on our campus we are recognizing and celebrating our diversity and culture here,” says Harwell.

“I’m glad this is an official holiday now. Juneteenth needs to be recognized just like President’s Day or Memorial Day. It’s almost like a second Fourth of July,” says student Shari-Fa Harrigan [Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, Virgin Islands], the events planning chair for SLCC’s Black Student Union.

“It’s nice that it provides a day off work so people have time to celebrate it with their family and friends,” adds student Jessie Tembo [International School of South Africa], vice president of the Black Student Union. “Now that it is a federal holiday, I think more and more people will now learn the history and what Juneteenth is all about."

Baritone vocalist Robert Sims singing.

The June 22 event will include music from baritone vocalist Robert Sims and a dance performance by the Copper Hills High School Black Student Union. The college’s Poet Laureate Deidre Tyler will share her talents. “I’m going to focus on the positive, and on going forward. People need to hear stories about positive things,” says Tyler.

Sticking to that positive note, James Gourmet Pie’s sweet potato pie will be served as part of the menu.

For more info visit SLCC’s Juneteenth web page.

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