Marquette co-sponsored a Juneteenth Celebration with Safe & Sound on Saturday, June 17. The event included a Youth Voice Stage featuring singing, dancing, poetry, live art and more from community members.
Juneteenth, officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, is a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining June and 19th, it is celebrated on the anniversary of the order by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865. Granger’s proclamation put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued nearly two and a half years earlier.
Members of the Marquette men’s basketball team, including Coach Shaka Smart, additionally took part in Milwaukee’s Juneteenth Celebration on Monday, June 19.
