Juneteenth

More than 300 people enjoy fellowship at gathering highlighted by inspiring speeches, music and a soul food brunch.

More than 150 people attend a live viewing party to enjoy catered lunch and community.

Some pay moving tributes to enslaved ancestors; others see holiday as a modern-day call to action.

It’s a time to be celebrating and for folks to learn allyship,” says Damarea Parker, one of the program’s organizers.

“How does one be celebratory when thinking about a history of over 250 years of enslavement?” USC’s chief inclusion and diversity officer asks.

The newest federal holiday is seen as opportunity to acknowledge centuries of struggle and to celebrate courage.

As Juneteenth becomes a federal holiday, USC experts examine the steps America has taken toward reckoning with the legacy of slavery and institutionalized racism.

For this USC scientist, the stories are personal: Her great-grandmother was freed nearly two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

The event on Saturday will reflect on and celebrate Black heritage through student tributes, artistic performances and various speakers.

Professors, administrators and students all shared words of remembrance and personal stories at the university’s inaugural Juneteenth event.