Celebrate Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a Black/African American celebration of family, freedom and liberation celebrated annually on the 19th of June. While the Emancipation Proclamation declared people who were enslaved to be free by January 1, 1863, many African Americans did not receive the news or its enforcement until June 19, 1865. The holiday has been officially recognized in Michigan since 2005 but gained national attention last year amid unrest over racism and the killings of Black Americans. Juneteenth is an excellent opportunity for us to celebrate as a community and honor the hard work and sacrifice of Black people who have been fighting for liberation for centuries. We still have a ways to go until we see equity for Black Americans and members of the African Diaspora.
Learn More About Juneteenth
Virtual Activities Happening at U-M
2021 Juneteenth Symposium: Celebrating Black Joy, Hope, and Healing
Monday, June 14 - Friday June 18, 2021, all day
U-M’s inaugural campus-wide Juneteenth Symposium will explore the theme of “Celebrating Black Joy, Hope, and Healing.” A partnership between U-M and the Ann Arbor Branch of the NAACP, this Juneteenth observance aims to celebrate and recognize the liberation of all Black people from slavery, made official by the emancipation on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas
Co-sponsored by:
- Association of Black Social Work Students
- Center for Social Solutions
- Department of Afroamerican and African Studies
- NAACP Ann Arbor Branch
- Rackham’s Strategic Action Leadership Team
WCTF Juneteenth Celebration
Friday, June 18, 2021, 8:30 AM-1:30 PM
Join the Women of Color Task Force for its second annual Juneteenth observance event. This year’s theme is “Improving Intercultural Race Relations to Develop Intercultural Solidarity.” This program includes:
- 9:00 AM - Panel 1: Learning from Cross-Cultural Experiences: A Global Perspective
- 10:30 AM - Panel 2: Toward a Culturally Inclusive Workplace
- 12:00 PM - Keynote Program: Improving Intercultural Race Relations to Develop Intercultural Solidarity
Panelists include Lorraine M. Gutiérrez, Associate Dean for Educational Programs.
William L. Clements Library Bookworm Conversation with Author Crystal Lynn Webster
Friday, June 18, 2021, 10-11 AM
In her new book, “Beyond the Boundaries of Childhood: African American Childhood in the Antebellum North,” Crystal Lynn Webster argues that young African Americans were frequently left outside the 19th century's emerging constructions of both race and childhood. Clements Library Director Paul Erickson will join Webster in this conversation.
This episode of the Bookworm coincides with the celebration of Juneteenth and a growing national recognition of understudied histories and experiences of African Americans in the past.
University of Michigan Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Juneteenth Celebration
Friday, June 18, 2021, 1 - 2 PM
U-M Electrical Engineering and Computer Science invites you to its second Juneteenth celebration, which will include:
- Performance of the Black National Anthem
- Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation
- Recognition of Dr. Willie Hobbs Moore, the first Black woman at Michigan to earn a BS and MS in electrical engineering (‘58 and ‘61), and the first Black woman in the country to earn a PhD in physics
- Panel discussion on the representation of Black students in STEM
20 Things Everyone Should Know About Slavery
Friday, June 18, 2- 3:30 PM
Sponsored by the Center for Social Solutions
Panelists will seek to generate a discussion about how historical knowledge might contribute solutions to the problems of contemporary expressions of human slavery and offer new pathways to democracy and freedom.
Black and Free: Exploring Liberation and Freedom in the 21st Century
Friday, June 25, 12-1:30 PM
Sponsored by the National Center for Institutional Diversity
Throughout history, people of African descent have fought to not only be free, but to thrive in liberation. The Diaspora’s diversity, then, brings to the table numerous perspectives and ways of imagining and working towards a free and liberated world for Black people. Can this world be known in the 21st century? Can freedom and liberation coexist? What obstacles remain to be dismantled and removed? Are we already free, and how can this be?
Additional Events in Metro Detroit
Village Arts Factory Juneteenth Celebration: "My Life and Voice Matters Too"
Friday, June 11, 2021, 7:30 PM-9 PM
50755 Cherry Hill Road, Canton, MI
Celebrate Juneteenth with a special photography exhibit by local youth.
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Juneteenth Jubilee Freedom Weekend Events
- “Concrete Cowboy” Movie Screening: Friday, June 18, 2021, 7-10 PM
- Juneteenth Jubilee Stroll: Saturday, June 19, 2021, 12 Noon-Midnight
- Treasure Hunt: Saturday, June 19, 2021, 9 PM - Sunday, June 20, 2021, 5 PM
- Camp Africa 2021 - Hidden Figures of The Diaspora: Monday, July 5, 2021, 9 PM- Friday, August 6, 2021, 5 PM
East Dearborn Downtown H2BE 2021 Juneteenth Mobility Stroll and Roll
Saturday, June 19, 2021 9 AM - 2 PM EDT
Old City Hall Park - 13615 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI
Mobilizing on Michigan Avenue invites participants to walk, bike, roll or stroll to re-enact the route of emancipation. The Juneteenth Mobility Stroll and Roll is just one of several major Homage to Black Excellence for 2021.
Hamtramck's Juneteenth Cleanup
Saturday, June 19, 2021, 10 AM-2 PM
11369 Dequindre St, Hamtramck, MI
Help clean up Sarah Garrett Park and the surrounding area in preparation for the dedication of a monument in the area.
The Myriad Collection x Break Bread The Mvmt: Buy Black Juneteenth Pop-Up Shop
Saturday, June 19, 2021, 3-7 PM
Ypsilanti Freighthouse - 100 Market Pl, Ypsilanti, MI
Stop by to support local Black businesses in the Washtenaw County area.
Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom Art Expo
Saturday, June 19, 2021 4-9 PM
16927 E Warren Ave, Detroit, MI
Join to celebrate Juneteenth with an art exhibition featuring local artists and artisans.
Unity in the Community: A Juneteenth Celebration
Saturday, June 19, 2021, 4-8 PM
Lathrup Village Community Center - 27400 Southfield Rd, Lathrup Village, MI
Lathrup Village's first-ever Juneteenth Celebration will include music, storytelling, kids activities, food trucks and a panel discussion. The panel features key community leaders including Rep. Kyra Bolden, Rep. Tyrone Carter, Judge Shelia Johnson and Yusef Shakur, MSW ‘19.