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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

Tuesday, June 16 – Black Wallstreet (vendor fair)

Wednesday, June 17 - MSU Libraries Book Talk Series Wrap Up

Thursday, June 18 – 517 Juneteenth Wellness Seminar

Friday, June 19 – Juneteenth Youth Summit

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: https://msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3kHej6sYXaXS8PI. You may also find additional information on the Juneteenth celebration by visiting the Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact webpage at inclusion.msu.edu.

Community events

Details on community events are forthcoming.

Delta Township Juneteenth events

Meridian Township Juneteenth Over Lake Lansing

Lansing Juneteenth Celebration

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, Communications Manager II, Office of the Provost

 

Communications

A promotional kit with materials will be made available soon.

Communications contact: mochidah@msu.edu

 

Juneteenth