Millikin University to host Virtual Juneteenth Celebration June 19th

 

[June 19, 2020] 

Millikin University has recognized Juneteenth as a campus holiday, and all employees are being released from their duties to participate in self-reflection and education surrounding Juneteenth, the Emancipation Proclamation, and also recent events in America.

The University will host a virtual Juneteenth Celebration on Friday, June 19 at 2 p.m. in honor of the nationwide commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. The celebration is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs.

Viewers will have the opportunity to practice self-reflection, increase understanding, and hear from Millikin students, faculty and staff members to learn more about the history and importance of this day as we commemorate the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865. Viewers will also have the opportunity to learn how to get involved and stay informed about topics related to racial equity and social justice.

Viewers may join the virtual Juneteenth Celebration by logging onto Millikin University's Facebook Page at facebook.com/MillikinUniversity/.  Millikin's celebration will be recorded for future viewing, but the University is inviting all members of the community to join the program at its scheduled time at 2 p.m.

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth recognizes that June 19, 1865, was the day that Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, accompanied by his Union troops, arrived in Galveston, Texas, to declare that the Civil War was over, and slavery was over and illegal in the United States. The announcement immediately set approximately 250,000 Texas slaves free, marking the official end of slavery in the U.S.

Since that time, the former slaves in Texas and their descendants have celebrated June 19 as their Independence Day. Most of the states in the U.S. and several countries around the world now also celebrate Juneteenth as the official holiday marking the end of slavery.

As a University committed to Performance Learning, Millikin University must respond to the challenges of our times with study, learning, discourse and action. Please join us in an afternoon of self-reflection, learning and growth on the afternoon of June 19 as Millikin University celebrates as a campus community this historic event.

[Millikin University Director of Media Relations and Publications Dane Lisser]