CMU commemorates Juneteenth with a week of events
Celebration begins Monday evening with virtual keynote address
Shawna Patterson-Stevens, vice president for inclusive excellence and belonging at Central Michigan University, speaks to a crowd of more 100 attendees in this June 18, 2021, file photo. It was the first Juneteenth commemoration after President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth -- the commemoration of the official end of legalized slavery in the U.S. -- a national holiday. (CM Life photo | Patrick Bouman | file)
Central Michigan University will hold three events throughout the week to celebrate Juneteenth by lifting up Black voices and educating the Mount Pleasant community.
Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19. The holiday commemorates when over 250,000 enslaved people in Texas learned they were free, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
When they were given freedom on June 19, 1865, and the day became known as “Juneteenth”.
Wednesday is scheduled feature a cornerstone celebration and commemoration at Island Park; however, CMU will be holding events starting today. A virtual event, entitled “We are the SANKOFA People of Tomorrow," is slated to take place from 6 to 8 p.m.
Artists Stacy Robinson and Kamau Gratham, also known as BLACKMAU will speak about their artwork and the significance of their work, and “offer reflections on the themes of culture, freedom and African American heritage,” according to Robinson’s website.
The event is free and open to the whole CMU community. To register for the event, click here.
CMU has planned a free luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, including a screening documentary featuring the financial impact of Juneteenth on Black Americans.
The showing is scheduled for 11 a.m. in the Health Professions Building, Room 1020. The event will also include lunch and a discussion following the documentary. Registration is available here.
Finally, on Juneteenth itself, The Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has planned a celebration from 4 to 8 p.m. at Island Park, 331 N. Main St.
The event is free for everyone and is open to the Mount Pleasant and Central Michigan community. It will include food and live music, along with live readings and crafts.
For any questions about the events, reach out to CMU’s Assistant Director of Diversity Education Danny McQuarters Jr. at mcqua1dl@cmich.edu.
