WHAT: The LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at The University of Texas at Austin will commemorate Juneteenth during the inaugural Juneteenth Freedom Summit: Birth of a New American Freedom. Speakers will discuss education, housing, wealth, and why Juneteenth matters now more than ever, amid a national political awakening on racial justice and equity.
WHEN: Saturday, June 19, 11 a.m. CT
WHO: Peniel Joseph, scholar of race and democracy, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Richard Reddick, Associate Dean, College of Education
Sylvester Turner, Houston Mayor
Annette Gordon-Reed, historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “On Juneteenth”
WHERE: The event is free and open to the public. It will be held via Zoom Webinar. Registration is required.
BACKGROUND: Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, when federal troops informed enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, of their freedom on June 19, 1865 — more than 2½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Texas was the last state to free enslaved African Americans.
MEDIA: Members of the media are permitted to record the event but are not permitted to publish, use or distribute any portion featuring commentary from Annette Gordon-Reed. Media assets are available in advance. Please contact victoriajyu@austin.utexas.edu.
