OHIO to host annual Juneteenth celebration June 18

Ohio University will host its annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 18, with community events scheduled throughout the day for the OHIO community.

According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control until June 19, 1865, when 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to free more than 250,000 enslaved African Americans. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth" by the newly freed people in Texas.

Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 every year. OHIO’s Juneteenth Celebration events will be hosted by the Division of Diversity and Inclusion and will kick off at 10 a.m. with a Health Walk (location to be determined). From 3 to 6 p.m. there will be a Juneteenth Festival on College Green. Community organizations and vendors are invited to table and offer services during the Juneteenth Festival.

Registration forms for vendors can be found here, and registration forms for tabling can be found here.

In 2021, Juneteenth was declared as a federal holiday and was added to Ohio University’s list of paid holidays. This year, Juneteenth will be observed on Monday, June 20, 2022, since Juneteenth falls on a Sunday.

For more information about Juneteenth, the schedule of events, and vendor registration links, visit www.ohio.edu/diversity/juneteenth-celebration.