SU Hosts Events Commemorating Juneteenth

SALISBURY, MD---As part of its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, Salisbury University offers virtual educational events to commemorate Juneteenth.

After the end of the Civil War in 1865, and two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed, there were still many enslaved people working on plantations and farms in rural areas. The news of slavery’s end had not yet reached these remote places.  

The most notable cases in history occurred in the Texas, where thousands of slaves were unaware that they were free. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and issued an order officially freeing the slaves. Juneteenth recognizes the official end of slavery in the U.S.

SU events include:

• Juneteenth Roundtable Discussion: 2-3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 10: Local activists and historians speak about the history of Juneteenth and the significance it holds today as African Americans still struggle to achieve true freedom and equality. Guest panelists include Dr. Clara Small, SU professor emerita of history; Dr. Joyce Bell, interim chair of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Criminal Justice Department; Bernadette Cannady, Wicomico Public Libraries branch manager; April Jackson, Salisbury City Councilwoman; and Dr. Arlisha Norwood, UMES assistant professor of history. Registration is available at the event page.
• Keynote speaker Dr. Michael Eric Dyson: 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, June 15: A globally renowned scholar of race, religion and contemporary culture, Dyson is the current Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies in the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt University. He is a noted author of more than 20 books, including the forthcoming Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America and the 2017 bestseller Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America. Registration is available on the event page.

SU’s Juneteenth events are free and the public is invited. Hosted on Zoom, Joan Williams, SU chief diversity officer and associated vice president of diversity and inclusion moderates each event.

For more information, call 410-548-4503, visit the Office of Diversity and Inclusion webpage or email odi@salisbury.edu.