HOUSTON (CW39) Members of the Texas Southern University community are honoring Juneteenth at a variety of events – both on- and off-campus, as well as virtually, over the next two weeks.
Texas Southern University has a unique connection to Juneteenth, which celebrates the day that slaves in Galveston, TX, were notified of their freedom. On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and announced the end of slavery. However, this news came almost two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. TSU alumnus and former state representative, the late Al Edwards (’66), initiated legislation to establish Juneteenth as a holiday in Texas. As a freshman state representative, Edwards, commonly known as “Mr. Juneteenth,” introduced the holiday in under House Bill 1016, which was signed into law in 1980.
Juneteenth is a celebration to commemorate the horrific period in our nation’s history and acknowledge the perseverance of our ancestors. Texas Southern University is committed to facilitating discourse and leading critical conversations, in the Houston region and around the state of Texas, to study and learn from our past as we charter innovative pathways for our future and continue to transform lives.
TSU President Dr. Lesia L. Crumpton-Young
Juneteenth – Freedom Work (in-person and virtual discussion); Friday, June 17, 2022; 8:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hudspeth Auditorium, Rice University
For additional information: https://diversity.rice.edu/juneteenth In Person: Hudspeth Auditorium, Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. Tickets are free and required for the in-person event. Reserve a seat here: https://bit.ly/3GikKN9. Online via Zoom: Register here: https://bit.ly/3lODb2y
