Juneteenth, which occurs on June 19 of each year, honors the day the last enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom in the U.S. in 1865.

Juneteenth became recognized as a national holiday on June 17, 2021, but has been celebrated by African Americans since the late 1800s.

While MSU holds annual Juneteenth celebrations, the day is not on MSU’s official holiday schedule and employees do not get it off.

“Celebrations like Juneteenth at MSU help to provide a platform to honor this important milestone in our nation’s history,” Spokesperson Mark Bullion wrote in a statement. “For those that choose to partake in the holiday itself, the university affords employees the option to take a Personal Observance Day.”

Personal Observance days can be used at will and are separate from, but similar to paid time off, Bullion said. Employees get two days each calendar year.

They were created in March 2023 to “provide flexibility to faculty and staff to recognize their own diverse religions, traditions, beliefs and cultures and reinforce MSU’s values of inclusion and belonging,” Bullion wrote.

MSU held their Juneteenth celebration in the Breslin Center on Friday. Local Black artists, musicians and business owners were highlighted at the event.

“We have to celebrate the different cultures and different people that make up this incredible place,” MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said at the event. “The Juneteenth celebration is a way in which we can think about our past, learn from pasts but look to the future.”