For its sixth annual Juneteenth Celebration, Michigan State University will return to a weeklong festivity format on June 15-19 for the first time since the event’s 2021 debut.
The event started in 2021, the same year Juneteenth became nationally recognized as a federal holiday, honoring the widespread end of slavery in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, enslaved people in Texas were not informed of their freedom until June 19, 1865, hence the name "Juneteenth."
“(Juneteenth) makes me reflect on how much my ancestors had to fight for me to be able to be here,” human development junior Reyna Atkinson said. “It's an opportunity for me to be grateful and a reminder that it wasn't that long ago that we were fighting those fights. It's important that we keep fighting for a future as well.”
Following last year’s celebrations, the planning committee hoped to incorporate more education with Juneteenth events, inspiring its expansion into a multi-day series. Preparations for this year began in the fall, headed by co-chairs of the planning committee, Yolanda Anderson and Amanda Flores. Their vision was to make Juneteenth celebrations at MSU more interactive through workshops and give people something to walk away with.
Along with a new format comes a new theme, Beyond Freedom: Building Futures, Protecting Our Past and Activating Change.
The theme was developed by reflecting on the Black community's current place in society and issues such as voting and health equity, while honoring past and future generations, Anderson said.
The celebration will kick off with a symposium at the MSU Main Library from 5-8 p.m. on Monday, June 15. Anderson has hopes to meet their 100 person capacity. It will begin with a vocal performance and panel discussion, followed by workshops touching on the past through quilts, ancestry and recipes. The symposium will conclude with a community dinner.
One of the speakers in the symposium, Miah Gill, a political theory and constitutional democracy sophomore, described the event as “a great continuation of the work that we have done and are doing as Black people in America.” Gill plans on speaking from the perspective of the youth, highlighting their role and encouraging them to make a place for themselves in conversations of change.
“It's going to be fascinating to hear how all of us (on the panel) are fighting the same fight in different areas, how all of us are using our skills in different ways, but most of all, we're making that impact,” Gill said. “And I think that'll be the beauty of the symposium and this collaboration effort.”
The annual Black Wall Street Vendor Fair will take place on Tuesday, June 16 in the Multicultural Center from 5-8 p.m. The fair has doubled its vendors from 30 to 60 since last year. Shoppers will peruse a variety of Black-owned businesses to the accompaniment of a DJ, RyNea Soul.
