LSUA News Articles

LSUA to Host Juneteenth Celebration on June 16th

Jun 13, 2022, 15:47 PM
LSUA will host its annual Juneteenth celebration on-campus this Thursday, 16 June, from 11 am to noon in the Brumfield-Caffey Annex. The central Louisiana community is invited to join us in this special commemoration of our nation's past and celebration of our future.

ALEXANDRIA - LSUA will host its annual Juneteenth celebration on-campus this Thursday, 16 June, from 11 am to noon in the Brumfield-Caffey Annex. The central Louisiana community is invited to join us in this special commemoration of our nation's past and celebration of our future.

 

Juneteenth is a federal holiday marking the actual end of slavery in the United States. Short for “June Nineteenth,” the day commemorates federal troops arriving in Galveston, TX, to enforce the end of the civil war and ensure all enslaved people were set free. Although the war ended two months prior in Virginia, and the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed more than two years earlier, slavery in Texas had continued unabated. Juneteenth honors the end of slavery in the United States.

 

Connie Cooper, LSUA’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion said, “Juneteenth is not a singular celebration about the liberation of an enslaved people, but rather an occasion for all Americans to reaffirm the truth and reflect upon the legacy of slavery, explore their humanity, and consider the challenge of true racial equity in order to understand what it means for us today and how we can progress individually and as a nation.”

 

LSUA’s event begins at 11 am and will host Jamison Harris, pastor of Second New Light Baptist Church, as well as speakers from the LSUA leadership team, staff, and students. At 11:25 am, attendees will embark on a “freedom walk” from the main campus to the Epps House, built in part by Soloman Northup. A wreath laying ceremony of remembrance will take place at 11:45 am.

 

“At LSUA, we celebrate Juneteenth by observing historically accurate accounts of our shared history,” concluded Cooper. “We encourage our campus community to reflect on our past and look to the future together as we continue our work to foster a more just, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all.” 

 

 

Written by Adam Lord

Graphic by Chase Dyess | LSUA Division of Strategic Communications