USU brings Juneteenth to Logan
June 19 marks a recently recognized federal holiday officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day. Other names for the holiday include Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Black Independence Day.
Juneteenth celebrates the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas with an announcement that freed all those who were enslaved, officially abolishing slavery. History.com states the troops arrived in Texas two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, due to news taking time to travel.
Now, the recognized event is considered the longest-running African American holiday in the U.S. Although Juneteenth has been around as a national holiday since 1866, U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation that established it federally on June 17, 2021.
Since then, traction to commemorate this momentous occasion has increased nationwide, and Utah State University has joined in on the celebrations.
Through a series of events spanning across three days, this year the university is trying to accomplish three objectives for Juneteenth — educate, celebrate and activate.
On June 17, the day will be filled with promoting the education factor with a Utah Black History Museum Bus, a Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art exhibit, a silent auction, a panel series and an alumni mixer.
On June 18, the celebrate portion will include a Juneteenth 5k, a BBQ and a movie screening of “His Name is Green Flake.”
On June 19, the university is promoting activism, with guest speakers and a gospel choir at an Interfaith Devotional.
A full schedule of each day’s events can be found here.
Along with celebrating the Thirteenth Amendment and the abolition of slavery, Juneteenth is also meant to be an observance of African American culture. USU’s devotional is meant to explore that culture.
“From the singing of Negro Spirituals during the time of slavery to gathering sights for marchers and activists during the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Church has been at the center,” the co-chairs of the university’s commemorations, Cree Taylor and Jamal-Jared Alexander, said. “The devotional celebrates gospel music and allows everyone —regardless of religious or non-religious affiliation— the space to come and consider the role they play in our progression towards a more anti-racist society.”
Taylor and Alexander explained that each event was intentional and thought out to provide resources and celebrations for all community members to choose something that is relevant or of interest to them.
But there is one takeaway they hope everyone will remember.
“We want to provide actionable steps they can take to help support anti-racism at USU and throughout the Aggie community,” Taylor and Alexander said.
The New York Times explained early celebrations of the holiday included a lot of prayer, food, family gatherings and annual pilgrimages. Since that time, festivities have grown to involve parades, city-wide events and even more food.
But it’s not all just about the party.
With African American students being a minority at USU, Taylor and Alexander said they felt education was crucial to include when planning.
“Juneteenth is a celebratory holiday,” they both said. “However, because of our location in Cache Valley at a predominantly white institution, we recognize that education is important because it helps the community better understand why Juneteenth is a holiday worth celebrating, regardless of your racial or ethnic identity.”
Nura Omer, a USU student and president of the Black Student Union, appreciates USU’s efforts and believes the university does a great job of balancing cultural festivities and educational opportunities.
“I believe that education is the greatest weapon you can have to combat hate,” she said. “People hate what they don’t understand, so by USU not only celebrating Juneteenth but also educating on it, the Aggie community is better for it.”
The university also brought awareness through a promotional video they posted on their Twitter account. The video featured USU students, student athletes and Black Student Union members to talk about what Juneteenth means to them.
In the video, USU football player Byron Vaughns said,“For me, (it’s) knowing my ancestors had to work for freedom. The fact that we’re free today is definitely a big step from where we were in the past.”
USU soccer player Diera Walton was also featured and said, “It’s just a great opportunity for me to learn about my culture and remember where I came from.
USU isn’t trying to keep all the education and fun to themselves. Members of the community are also invited to each event, and some events are being held off-campus to encourage it community participation.
Even if people aren’t able to attend this week’s events, Omer said the best way to recognize the occasion on their own is to educate themselves on African American culture and why Juneteenth is significant.
If people do have time scheduled to make it to any of the festivities, Omer has another message.
“This is a space for you to come and learn, celebrate and support,” she said. “There are no expectations of you at this event except an open mind.”
To learn more, visit Juneteenth.usu.edu.
-Jacee.Caldwell@usu.edu
Featured photo by: Bailey Rigby