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MU is celebrating and recognizing Juneteenth this year with the Juneteenth Jubilee hosted by the Imani Edu-Tainers African Dance Company, a nonprofit organization that promotes community awareness, appreciation and understanding of African culture and community enlightenment. On Saturday, June 17, at the Ware Center, the Imani Edu-Tainers African Dance Company will perform several different dances and musical performances.
Dr. Caleb Corkery, professor of English and faculty member of the African American studies minor, explains the importance of celebrating.,“Juneteenth is a revealing, symbolic moment of American history. It reminds us of the enduring version of American history that ignored African American life. A mash-up of ‘June Nineteenth’, it identifies the moment in the summer of 1865 when enslaved people received word in Galveston, Texas, about President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation from January 1, 1863.”
“As an educational institution, we should promote understanding of the history of this country. Juneteenth is especially important to recognize because it tells a story that is unfamiliar, and its unfamiliarity reveals the lack of attention to African American life and history—the more full telling of American history,” Corkery explains.
Juneteenth Jubilee: Imani’s 26th Annual Community Concert: Orun, Aye Ati Larrin: Heaven, Earth and In-Between:
- The Juneteenth Jubilee on Saturday, June 17, at 6:45 p.m., includes a celebration of traditional West African culture featuring drum and dance performances, food, art and West African fashions. [TICKETS: $25]
The University is also displaying the Juneteenth flag outside of the Student Memorial Center.
Interested in more events at the Ware Center? Click here
