MSU Juneteenth Celebration

June 6, 2022 - Jabbar R. Bennett, Ph.D.

MSU students, staff and faculty,

I am excited to invite you to attend the Michigan State University Juneteenth Celebration program on Friday, June 17, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Breslin Center. The second annual event recognizes the federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, in 1865, which came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

To mark the occasion, I am pleased to join President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., Provost Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph. D., MSU Board of Trustees Chair Dianne Byrum and University Distinguished Professor of Jazz Bass Rodney T. Whitaker in this welcome message to encourage your participation at the event. 

This year’s program features welcome remarks from MSU leaders, including a brief history of Juneteenth and the keynote address, “Not Only Darkness: The Legacy and Future of Black Speculative Practice,” by MSU Professor of English Dr. Julian Chambliss, followed by festivities through 8:30 p.m.

I thank our numerous partners, including the Department of African American and African Studies, Black Students’ Alliance, Black Graduate Student Association, Black Faculty Staff and Administrators Association, MSU Black Alumni, College of Music, MSU Libraries and WKAR Public Media, along with the many sponsors across campus who make this event possible.

I look forward to greeting you as we celebrate African American history, culture and legacy in recognition of our shared humanity and pursuits of liberation.

Sincerely,

Jabbar R. Bennett, Ph.D. (he/him)

Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer