Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day, commemorates June 19, 1865, when the announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army General Gordon Granger proclaimed African Americans’ freedom from slavery in the state of Texas. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it is now celebrated nationally with increasing official recognition. Fordham now celebrates Juneteenth as a University-wide holiday.
In honor of the Juneteenth holiday, we are excited to share news of campus events and local community celebrations, as well as a link to further reading on the Juneteenth holiday.
CAMPUS EVENTS
Virtual Faculty Panel and Q&A: The History & Contemporary Significance of Juneteenth
Thursday, June 17, 12 – 1 p.m., featuring:
* Dr. Tyesha Maddox, Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies
* Dr. Michele Prettyman, Assistant Professor of Communications and Media Studies, and
* Dr. Tyler Stovall, Professor of History and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Registration required: click here.
Sponsored by the Office of the CDO and the Office of Alumni Relations and offered as part of this year’s Virtual Lincoln Center Block Party Reunion on June 16 and17, which celebrates five of Fordham University’s Lincoln Center-based schools. For more information, or if you are an alumnus who would like to register for the Block Party, click here.
Fordham Law School’s Juneteenth Virtual Celebration: Juneteenth & Dies Community, Texas: A Freedmen Community’s 150-Year Evolution and the Law
Wednesday, June 16, 6 – 7:30 p.m., featuring F. Sunnie Frazier of Lamar University. Co-sponsored by the Center on Race, Law, and Justice. Registration Required: click here.
The Frazier family narrative is set within the village of Dies Community, a farming hamlet of previously enslaved African Americans who congregated after Juneteenth, purchased land, and established their own religious, educational and community institutions.
The Frazier family narrative will be analyzed through a historical lens of state and federal law from the earliest celebration of Juneteenth to the current day. Ms. Frazier will share her family’s experience as leaders in their community addressing voting rights, land acquisition and property rights, education law, and Jim Crow segregation.
WFUV Spins Black Artists Exclusively on Juneteenth
June 19, 6 a.m. – 4 p.m.
WFUV will be honoring Juneteenth by spinning exclusively Black artists. In addition, the station will feature 20 artists speaking about what Juneteenth means to them. During the midday, the FUV News team will host a featured discussion on the meaning and history of reparations.
COMMUNITY EVENTS & CELEBRATIONS
* June 14 – 19: The Schomburg Center’s Virtual Literary Festival: Reading the African Diaspora
This year, the Arturo A. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a gem of the NYC Public Library system, is hosting their annual day-long Literary Festival over six days, June 14-19, 2021, as the center’s doors remain closed due to COVID-19. Throughout the week, featured authors and books will explore concepts of freedom, culminating on June 19: Juneteenth.
* June 18, 6 – 8 p.m.: Mayor and First Lady’s Juneteenth Celebration, Harlem
Bill de Blasio, Mayor of the City of New York, and Chirlane McCray, First Lady of the City of New York, are hosting a Juneteenth Celebration at St. Nicholas Park – James Baldwin Lawn (Cross Streets: 135th and St. Nicholas Ave).
This event, which is free, open to the public, and family-friendly, requires registration. If you would like to attend, please contact Bill Colona, Director of Government Relations, Federal and Urban Affairs, by email at wcolona@fordham.edu by no later than 5 p.m. on June 15, and also include the names, email addresses, and affiliated organizations, of any guests you would like to bring.
* JUNE 19, 11 a.m.: Juneteenth Virtual Storytime with StriveHigher Inc.
Join Bronx-based children’s educational organization, StriveHigher Inc., for a special Juneteenth storytime. Learn about the history of this special day and ways that you can celebrate it. Our special guest, Ms. Loretta, will be reading Juneteenth: A Children’s Story. She will also share her experience growing up during the civil rights movement. Courtesy of Fordham University, a free hard copy of the book will be provided to the first 50 children who register.
To register a child, click here.
* JUNE 19, 7 – 8:30 pm: Afro-Waves — Virtual Concert w/AJA MONET and CVGEBIRD
Join the East Harlem-based Caribbean Cultural Center & African Diaspora Institute as they honor the spirit of Juneteenth with a virtual concert featuring artist-activists Aja Monet and Cvgebird.
FOR FURTHER READING
* Visit Bronx independent bookstore, The Lit Bar’s On Juneteenth We Read website.
