The U of A and the NWA Juneteenth Committee invite the community, friends and family to celebrate the annual Northwest Arkansas Juneteenth Celebration, which commemorates the anniversary of the emancipation of African Americans.

The official Juneteenth holiday will be celebrated on Saturday, June 19, with a virtual gathering titled “Free to be Black,” starting at 12:30 p.m.

The Community Cohesion Project and the NWA Juneteenth Committee are hosting “Free to Be Black: A (Virtual) Juneteenth Celebration of Family, Community, and Freedom."

Appearances will include 2021 Grammy Award-winning and associate professor of music education, Jeffery Murdock; singer, songwriter, producer and actor Eric Benét; the first-ever female African American MasterChef season 10 winner, Dorian Hunter; and more.

Those wishing to attend can register at Juneteenth.uark.edu.

On Friday, June 18, the Arkansas Department of Health will be conducting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at The Gardens on the U of A campus starting at 2 p.m. The ADH will be administering the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and no registration is required.

SWAG BAG & GO POP-UP

The Community Cohesion Project and the NWA Juneteenth Committee will provide swag bags to those who register for the NWA Juneteenth Virtual Celebration on Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19.

To receive a bag, you must register for the virtual Juneteenth Celebration event at: http://bit.ly/CCP_UARKJuneteenth2021

The swag bag and boxed meal pick up on June 18 will run from 2-6 p.m. at The Gardens on the U of A campus. Swag bag pick up on June 19 will run 9-11 a.m. at the Rogers Farmers Market. The giveaway is on a first come, first serve basis.

SPOTLIGHT TALK WITH HANNIBAL B. JOHNSON

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will host an evening with acclaimed speaker and author Hannibal B. Johnson commemorating Black Wall Street and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The lecture will be on Friday, June 18, from 7-8 p.m., and free tickets can be reserved at the Crystal Bridges website. 

FOREST CONCERT SERIES – THE SOUNDS OF FREEDOM

Presented in collaboration with Music Moves, this Juneteenth celebration featuring DeeDee Jones and Spud Howard explores the genre of Black protest music from the 1970s to the present. 

Jones and Howard will perform soulful, high-energy tributes to Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and other influential Black artists as they delve into the heart of Black protest to produce a sound that reverberates around the world.

Tickets are $12 and can be bought at https://crystalbridges.org/calendar/

ABOUT JUNETEENTH

Juneteenth, or the "19th of June," is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It recognizes June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, when Union Gen. Gordon Granger announced freedom for all slaves in the Southwest. This was the last major vestige of slavery in the United States following the end of the Civil War. This occurred more than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Pres. Abraham Lincoln. Upon the reading of General Order No. 3 by Granger, the former slaves celebrated jubilantly, establishing America's second Independence Day celebration and the oldest African-American holiday observance. In 2006, the Arkansas Legislature first recognized Juneteenth as a state memorial day commemorated by the issuance of a proclamation from Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Juneteenth today celebrates African American freedom and achievement while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. 

For more information about the Northwest Arkansas Juneteenth Celebration, please visit the Juneteenth website or contact Danielle Williams at dlw11@uark.edu.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.