On June 19, students at the Naveen Jindal School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas joined their UT Dallas peers to celebrate Juneteenth with a barbeque, health fair, carnival, concert, and reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the date that Union soldiers brought news to Texas that the end of the civil war had also brought about the end of slavery, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
“Newly freed people–they were thinking about maximizing their opportunities,” said Dr. Kimberly Hill, a visiting assistant professor who teaches African-American history at UT Dallas. “The real heart of the Emancipation Proclamation is how people live it out, and we see that in Juneteenth.”
“Juneteenth is a celebration for everyone,” said Arthur Gregg, the director of UT Dallas’ Multicultural Center and an assistant vice president for multicultural affairs. “We [encouraged] students, faculty and staff to join us on Friday for a fun event to honor and learn about this important date in history.”
Juneteenth was hosted by the Multicultural Center, which provides year-round educational resources, leadership opportunities, cultural programs, and support services to help students from a variety of backgrounds succeed.