MSU Juneteenth Celebration

This year marks the 6th annual Juneteenth Commemorative Celebration at Michigan State University! This year’s theme, Beyond Freedom: Building Futures, Protecting Our Past and Activating Change, aims to celebrate and recognize the contributions of past and contemporary artists, scientists and advocates who work tirelessly to center Black excellence in the American fabric. The Juneteenth events at MSU will include components focused on voting, entrepreneurship and storytelling. The event is open to all.

About Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas were told they were free, two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on Jan. 1, 1863. A century and a half later, Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, but it’s not taught in schools or widely known. Michigan State University hosts Juneteenth as an annual celebration that recognizes the diverse contributions of African Americans to the United States.

2026 Event Details

Monday, June 15 – Juneteenth Symposium
The MSU Juneteenth Symposium brings together local leaders and grassroots activists for a day of reflection and collective action. Rooted in the spirit of freedom and community empowerment, the program highlights the ongoing work of civic engagement and volunteerism as vital tools for advancing justice and strengthening our communities.

The event will begin with a panel conversation featuring local leaders and organizers who are actively shaping social change across the region. Panelists will share their experiences in advocacy, community organizing, and public service while exploring the importance of civic participation, grassroots leadership, and sustained volunteer engagement in addressing today’s most pressing social challenges.

Following the panel discussion, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a series of interactive workshops designed to deepen community knowledge. The workshops include:
- Recipes of Resistance: Food, Culture, and Community Memory
- Piecing the Past: Quilts, Stories, and the Legacy of Juneteenth
- Tracing Our Roots: Genealogy, Archives, and Family Histories
- Nature’s Medicine: Herbal Traditions and Holistic Health
- The Justice League of Greater Lansing Michigan: A Faith-based Approach to Reparations
Space will be limited to 100 people. Additional details regarding food and registration is forthcoming.
Tuesday, June 16 – Black Wallstreet (Vendor Fair)
Additional details are forthcoming.
Wednesday, June 17 - MSU Libraries Book Talk Series Wrap Up Conversation
In preparation for the Book Talk Series Wrap Up Conversation, we encourage you to check out the African American Women Scholars on Race, Racism, and Living Black in America series. For more information, visit the MSU Libraries for dates, times, and speakers.

Details for Book Talk Series Wrap Up Conversation coming soon!
Thursday, June 18 – 517 Juneteenth Wellness Seminar
Hosted by 517 Juneteenth. Details are forthcoming.
Friday, June 19 – Juneteenth Youth Summit
Details and registration are forthcoming.

How to participate

Become a sponsor:

Visionary Sponsor – $1,000 includes name on website.
Legacy Sponsor – $1,500 includes name on website and Juneteenth educational program.
Freedom Sponsor – $2,000 includes names on the website and the Juneteenth celebration.

Please complete the sponsorship form by April 3, 2026. You may copy and paste this link on your browser to access the form: msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3kHej6sYXaXS8PI.

Community events

Wiki

Juneteenth - On June 19, 1865, two-and-a-half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and a couple of months after the end of the Civil War, newly posted Major General Gordon Granger issued orders to free the over 250,000 African American slaves in Galveston, Texas, who had not yet been informed of the new law. Juneteenth is considered the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of the enslavement of African Americans and Black people in the United States.

Although, Juneteenth has been celebrated since the late 1800s, it was not federally recognized as a national holiday until June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed a bill officially designating June 19 as a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in America.

Afrofuturism - The cultural aesthetic, philosophy and movement that explores the intersection of the African/Black diaspora with the alternative visions and imaginations of Black liberation.

African/Black diaspora - The descendants and global community of Black West and Central Africans who were enslaved and shipped to the Americas via the Atlantic slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Black National Anthem - 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' (poetry and lyrics) by James Weldon Johnson

Black Wall Street - Also known as the Greenwood neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where in the early 20th century African Americans created a self-sufficient prosperous business district that was destroyed in 1921 due to racial violence.

Green Book -The Green Book was a travel guidebook specifically designed for African American travelers during the era of racial segregation in the United States. View the MSU Green Book.

Harlem Renaissance - The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s.

Idlewild - Idlewild, or the "Black Eden of Michigan," was one of the few resorts in the country where African Americans could safely vacation from 1912 through the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Freedom - the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without restraint.

Liberation - securing equitable, social, economic and judicial rights.

Sponsors and volunteers

We thank our many sponsors and volunteers for contributing to support the MSU Juneteenth Celebration:

Planning Committee Members

Yolanda Anderson, Ph.D., College of Engineering
Reyna Atkinson, MSU Student
Terence Brown, Office of Admissions
Dajia Burke, Recreational Sports and Fitness Services
Julian Chambliss, Ph.D, College of Arts and Letters
Karma Crandell, MSU Student
Melissa Del Rio, Graduate School
Freddie DeRamus, University Advising
Gennell Dorty, Career Services Network
Amanda Flores, Ph.D., College of Education
Amir Franklin, College of Social Science
Tonya Fountain, Prevention, Outreach and Education
Erik Ponder, University Libraries
Ted Ransaw, College of Education
Cece Sumpter, Undergraduate Education
Marquis Taylor, Broad College of Business
Debra Thorton, Undergraduate Education
Tomika Timmons, Learning and Assessment Center
Faye Watson, FRIB
Scot Wright, Broad College of Business

IEI support staff

Lauren Woodworth, Fiscal and Human Resources Officer, Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact
Florensio Hernandez, Program Manager, Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact
Lisa Fuentes, Staff Assistant, Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact
Henry Mochida, Inclusion Communications Manager II, Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact and University Communications
Leah Ball, Assistant Director of Communications and Digital Engagement, Office of the Provost

Communications

A promotional kit with materials will be made available soon.

Communications contact: mochidah@msu.edu