Neal-Marshall Center to celebrate freedom with annual Juneteenth event

When President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation became officially recognized Jan. 1, 1863, the news was slow-going.

It would be another two and a half years before word reached Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War had ended and those who were enslaved were now free. The date, June 19, 1865, became known as Juneteenth.

The Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center will celebrate that day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 18. The celebration is free and open to the public.

“It is our hope that we will fill up the Grand Hall and all the hallways leading to it in excitement of celebrating Juneteenth and our grand freedom daily,” NMBCC Administrative Assistant Sachiko Higgins-Kante said. “This is truly our freedom which comes before the Fourth of July.”

The 13th annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration will feature multiple activities, including vendors selling African artifacts, face painting and a bouncy house, all under the theme of “Forever Free: Celebrating Our Freedom, Renewing Our Strength.”

Carl Darnell, a student in the IU Higher Education & Student Affairs Ph.D. Program, will speak about why Juneteenth is celebrated.

“The biggest thing is we’re celebrating freedom, not just emancipation,” Darnell said.
“We must look at other events, like what’s going on in Haiti, and other people who need to be free.”

Just Making Use of Social Expressions, or JMuse, will also perform at Juneteenth. JMuse is a student ensemble that uses singing, dancing, acting and step to express social issues through art.

“We focus on art for the sake of activism,” JMuse member and IU graduate Melody Barham said. “We accepted the invitation to perform at Juneteenth because much of our work is based on the Black aesthetic. Education through art is what is important to us.”

Barham said Juneteenth is worth celebrating because it is a landmark in U.S. history.
“It compels us to seize the day,” she said.

Darnell said he also thinks Juneteenth is important to recognize.

“We must make sure everyone around the world is free,” Darnell said.