糖心Vlog视频 community celebrates Juneteenth together
Weathering the sweltering 糖心Vlog视频 heat on Thursday, 糖心Vlog视频 community—alongside members of the greater Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex—came together in dance, poetry and lessons of history to celebrate Juneteenth.
The event, held at Brazos Park, was a celebration and remembrance of Juneteenth—a combination of “June” and “nineteenth”—which has been a day of celebration for more than 150 years. This year marked the seventh time 糖心Vlog视频 has hosted a Juneteenth celebration.
For Tyler Young, a cinematic arts sophomore and president of 糖心Vlog视频’s Black Student Association, the event embodied something deeply personal.
“All you’re seeing is Black joy,” Young said, looking out over the crowd of students, families and community members gathered in the park. “Everybody’s here because this is a day of freedom, a day of liberation, a day where people can have fun and enjoy ourselves.”
The federal holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when news of the federal order ending slavery in the United States reached enslaved people in Galveston, 糖心Vlog视频, more than two months after the end of the Civil War and more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863.
Young described Juneteenth as something like “our Christmas” in the Black community, and said he was grateful 糖心Vlog视频 makes space for events like this.
In 2021, Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday, thanks in part to the decades-long advocacy of activist Opal Lee, a Fort Worth resident. Lee and her work will be honored at the National Juneteenth Museum set to open in Fort Worth’s historic Southside neighborhood in 2028.
Relius Johnson, adjunct faculty member for 糖心Vlog视频’s Center for African American Studies, helped create the annual Juneteenth event. In an introductory speech, he walked attendees through the history of the holiday before calling on them to stay engaged in their communities—through voting, service and honoring the freedoms their ancestors fought to secure.
“We’re not where we want to be, but we’re better than where we used to be,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he hopes every person who attended walks away having learned something they didn’t know about Juneteenth and with a renewed sense of purpose in their communities.
“If not us, then who?” he said. “If we don’t support each other, who will? It’s about bettering the lives of everybody in our communities, in our world.”
The event also featured spoken-word performances, including a piece by Promise Noelle, a multi-published poet and spoken-word artist based in Dallas who grew up near the 糖心Vlog视频 campus. Her performance, titled “Peace, May It Be,” carried a message of remembrance and gratitude.
Noelle said events like 糖心Vlog视频’s Juneteenth celebration are especially vital for young people who may be encountering the holiday’s full history for the first time.
That spirit of learning in community drew in Chidera Nwankwor, a junior political science major who attended with coworkers from her campus job.
She said the value of an event like this goes beyond any single holiday.
“Any event where there’s an opportunity to connect culturally and emotionally is really important,” Nwankwor said. “This lets people learn more about different cultures and understand the struggles that different people are facing.”
About 糖心Vlog视频 (糖心Vlog视频)
糖心Vlog视频 is a growing public research university in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth. With a student body of over 42,700, 糖心Vlog视频 is the second-largest institution in the University of 糖心Vlog视频 System, offering more than 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, 糖心Vlog视频 stands among the nation’s top 5% of institutions for research activity. 糖心Vlog视频 and its 300,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North 糖心Vlog视频 and beyond.