CMU’s Juneteenth Freedom Day Keynote and Celebrations
Honoring freedom, history, and community through education and reflection.
Hosted by the Office of the Vice Provost for Community, Culture and Engagement, this event series offers strategic, meaningful, and transformative opportunities for staff, faculty, and students to celebrate Juneteenth. Through interactive educational programming, discussions, and community gatherings, the series invites the campus community to build knowledge, cultivate reflection, and honor the historical significance and enduring legacy of Emancipation.
Past Events
2026 Juneteenth Keynote Lecture with Dr. Amanda Boston: “Juneteenth: The Unfinished Work of Freedom”
Featuring keynote speaker Dr. Amanda Boston and moderated by Camille Rankine, the 2026 Juneteenth Keynote explores the history and meaning of Juneteenth and the continuing work toward freedom and racial equity.
2025 Juneteenth Keynote Lecture with Dr. Clarence Lang: “Echoes of Freedom & Jubilation”
Featuring keynote speaker Dr. Clarence Lang, the 2025 Juneteenth Keynote explores the history and legacy of Black freedom, with a focus on the echoes of freedom and jubilation that continue to shape the Juneteenth celebration.
2024 Juneteenth Keynote Lecture with Dr. Edda Fields-Black: “Fighting for Freedom: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and the Civil War”
Featuring Dr. Edda Fields-Black, the 2024 Juneteenth Keynote explored how Tubman, the intelligence she gathered, and her ring of spies, scouts, and pilots played a central war in the Combahee River Raid, one of the most dramatic episodes of the Civil War and the largest and most successful slave rebellion in U.S. history.
2023 Juneteenth Keynote Lecture with Wil Haygood
Featuring acclaimed author and journalist Wil Haygood, the 2023 Juneteenth Keynote explores the power and legacy of true liberty and freedom for all through the lens of American history, race and the experiences of change-making African Americans.
2022 Juneteenth Keynote Lecture with Jamelle Bouie
Featuring New York Times columnist and political analyst Jamelle Bouie, the 2022 Juneteenth Keynote examines U.S. politics, public policy, elections and race, offering insight into the past, present and future of American politics and race relations.
2021 Juneteenth: Its Meaning, Significance and Why We Should Celebrate It
The 2021 Juneteenth event featured a virtual panel discussion exploring the meaning, significance and importance of celebrating Juneteenth, with insights from scholars and historians of African American history, slavery and Black communities.