Wednesday, June 19, 2024
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Mesa Community College | Southern & Dobson Campus
Juneteenth is significant to American History as the annual holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States, celebrated on June 19. In 2024 the City of Mesa, Mesa Community College and the Mesa-East Valley MLK Committee is partnering to host its annual community-wide Juneteenth Celebration.
The theme "Rooted In Resilience" embodies the strength, determination, and perseverance of Black communities throughout history, acknowledging the challenges they have overcome and the progress they continue to make. By embracing resilience, we honor the legacy of those who fought for freedom and justice while recognizing the ongoing struggles for equality and equity.
The theme "Rooted In Resilience" embodies the strength, determination, and perseverance of Black communities throughout history, acknowledging the challenges they have overcome and the progress they continue to make. By embracing resilience, we honor the legacy of those who fought for freedom and justice while recognizing the ongoing struggles for equality and equity.
It's an opportunity to both look back but to look ahead to make sure that that notion of freedom and the fragility of it is always protected and celebrated." -Lonnie Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Join us for a gathering filled with:
- Performances (announcement coming soon)
- Health Fair
- Career Empowerment Hub
- Special show in the MCC Planetarium
- Mesa Community College's Live Performance DJs
- Art Exhibition
- Food Trucks, Activities and more...
What to know about Juneteenth
On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed a bill making June 19th—known as Juneteenth—a federal holiday. Here’s what everyone needs to know about Juneteenth history and the Juneteenth federal holiday.
Here are some key things to know about the history around Juneteenth:
Today, America’s second independence day is celebrated in many of the same ways as its first with commemorations and celebrations in communities throughout the USA.
Here are some key things to know about the history around Juneteenth:
- On the eve of January 1, 1863, which is the date the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, African Americans held gatherings in churches and homes waiting to hear that the law had taken effect.
- After the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Union soldiers traveled throughout the South reading copies of it to the public as they spread the news. Many of these soldiers were Black, a fact which must have made this process all the more empowering and joyful for these men and for the communities they liberated.
- Although President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, making it effective immediately, the law could not actually be enforced in areas still under armed Confederate control as long as the war continued. Texas was the last standing state of the Confederacy, which is why enslaved African Americans in Galveston weren’t actually liberated until two years after the Proclamation was signed.
- Even though Juneteenth marks the day that the last remaining slaves in the final Confederate holdout were freed, slavery was not actually abolished as a matter of national policy until the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865.
Today, America’s second independence day is celebrated in many of the same ways as its first with commemorations and celebrations in communities throughout the USA.