Academics and students gathered in the Bernath auditorium at Undergraduate Library on Tuesday to kick off Wayne State University’s Juneteenth celebrations with a one-and-a-half-hour opening ceremony, where several speakers from varied backgrounds gave their thoughts and remarks on the newly instated federal holiday.
During the ceremony, Stacie Clayton, Director of Community Affairs and Director of Juneteenth Celebrations at WSU, remarked on how Juneteenth was instated as a federal holiday, citing former representative and WSU alumna Barbara Rose Collins’ 1996 address to Congress. Collins’ address sowed the seeds for later movements that eventually lead to Juneteenth being recognized as a federal holiday by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Assistant Professor of African American Studies Kefenste Chike, Ph.D., remarked on the nature of Juneteenth and the complicated history of how enslaved people were emancipated.
“[The Emancipation Proclamation] was originally signed as a military strategy – it only emancipated enslaved people in confederate areas,” he said.
Chike went on to explain how enslaved people played a major role in the Civil War in helping defeat the south and how free Black Americans served in the Union Army and fought for the freedom of enslaved people everywhere. The Proclamation was issued on Sept. 22, 1862, but it would take several years before the last enslaved people in the United States found out they were free on June 19, 1865, when the last confederate holdouts in Texas surrendered.
Later, WSU BFA student Jordan Patterson performed her spoken word piece “I’m Walking.” She relayed a message of hope and perseverance in response to the problems Black Americans have faced because of slavery and prejudice.
After her performance, communication professor Donyale Padgett, Ph.D., presented the Dr. Marquita Chamblee Community Impact Award to Barbara L. Jones. Jones is an educator in the Office of Sexual Violence and Prevention and Education. She is also a Community Dispute Resolution Specialist and Faculty Instructor for the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies Program at WSU.
“Receiving this award on Juneteenth is an honor beyond my words, so if you see me shed some tears, I will not apologize for them,” Jones said.- “Belonging to a community helps us heal, survive and thrive.”
Mayowa Lisa Reynolds, Ph.D., Principal of the Detroit School of Arts and Assistant Pastor at the Fellowship Chapel gave her keynote address at the end of the ceremony.
The theme of her speech was it is in human nature to seek freedom. She described how people affected by the African Diaspora have been seeking out their freedom for generations. She describes the Sankofa, a word from the Ghanaian Twi language. Translated to English, the word means “to go back and get.”
It is associated with an image of a bird with its feet facing forward but its head turned around. Reynolds described how Sankofa symbolizes how we should strive to remember the past and its lessons while taking steps toward healing and progress. She describes how the U.S.and its institutions have a long history of exploiting Black Americans for labor and resources.
“There is no stock market to rise or fall without black bodies,” she said. “Every step of the way we have fought for freedom.”
Reynolds went on to describe this struggle, “etched into the commemorative wall of the Civil War is the service of Black soldiers and sailors, who arrived ahead of General Granger on June 18, 1865, (and) participated in their own liberation.”
Reynold’s keynote exemplified how the struggle for freedom is something Black Americans have fought for themselves and taken part in from the beginning. History buries the story of marginalized people, and Reynolds’ address shows marginalized people’s stories have not yet been fully heard.
After the seminar, attendees were free to browse the stalls and food trucks on Keast Commons where they were also treated to live music.
Ultimately, Wayne State’s Juneteenth Celebrations and all Juneteenth celebrations are a show of resilience, determination and Black excellence. These celebrations also serve as a reminder of the continuing work non-profit organizations and civic groups put in towards stamping out racism and prejudice and pushing us towards a more just and equitable world, Jones said.
“[Juneteenth] is also a symbol of our ongoing pursuit for justice,” Jones said.
Ali Iqbal is a contributing writer to The South End. He can be reached at hp2206@wayne.edu.
Cover photo by Ali Iqbal.
