'We're stronger together'
CMU hosts the Juneteenth Celebration for the community
Despite the rainy weather in the morning, the sun shone down on Central Michigan University and Mount Pleasant community members at Island Park for the annual Juneteenth Celebration Thursday. Attendees enjoyed music, a lemonade and kettle corn vendor, booths, speakers and free food.
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is now a federal holiday celebrated each year on June 19. It commemorates the day in 1865 when the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas and marked the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
“I think it is a holiday that is long overdue,” Kayleigh Gotts, site coordinator for Central Michigan Collegiate Recovery Education (CMCREW), said. “There’s always work to be done, there’s plenty of work to be done in the country we live in. We’re stronger together.”
Juneteenth became federally recognized just four years ago. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on June 17, 2021, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Since it has been a federally recognized holiday, some tabling volunteers believe that this gives more exposure to Juneteenth and allows more people to celebrate it. Akua Acheampong, Student Government Association president, and Kathryn House, SGA vice president, said they hope this helps people to continue to be exposed to the holiday.
Acheampong said: “It places a lot of importance on it that for a long time, historically, the African American community has struggled with acknowledgement, with commemoration.”
“It definitely allows people to see it more and understand it more,” House added.
Acheampong and House talked about some of the benefits of SGA and their engagement with the CMU community.
“Student government serves as a representation for all students, and that includes African American students, so coming out together in congregation to celebrate, to commemorate, is part of the community,” Acheampong said.
"SGA serves as the voice of all students," House said, "so really uplifting and amplifying the voices of all students on campus and really honing in on that community aspect.”
Danny McQuarters Jr., assistant director of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, had a leading role in putting on the celebration, as well as the other events held throughout the week. Tuesday had a virtual guest speaker and Wednesday saw a documentary screening with lunch.
McQuarters said they started expanding the big Juneteenth celebration to Island Park instead of Warriner Mall to include the Mount Pleasant community more. This year was the second year of holding it at the park.
“We’re still doing a lot of work to get out there in the community,” McQuarters said.
Several speakers showed up to talk about the history behind and the importance of Juneteenth. McQuarters was the lead address, but others included Mount Pleasant Mayor Boomer Wingard; Director of Diversity Education in the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Nikita Murry; and university President Neil MacKinnon.
"As we continue to grow in this relationship with the community and community members, remind our friends that Juneteenth is not replacing the Fourth of July or other days of freedom," Murry said. "We are not limited to just one day to be free.”
MacKinnon spoke about the importance of community and unity.
“We are incredibly blessed and grateful to be born and be alive in this time," he said. "We need everyone under this roof to come together and lift each other up.”
Several local businesses and organizations supported the celebration. Jim Thurston, Monica Bird and Roger Hatch were on hand, representing St. John’s Episcopal Church. Thurston said the church tries to engage in as many community events as possible.
“This is just part of what we do out in the community, be a welcoming member in the community," Thurston said. “Look around, we got people with tables, community leaders pushing their wares of what they do in support of people, it’s, ya know, a big handshake.”
CMU alumna Mary ‘Irv’ Irvine, performed "Step by Step," Pete Seeger's 1959 protest song.
She said the Juneteenth celebration showed that Mount Pleasant residents and students care about their community.
“Knowing that people of many colors and races are interested enough to engage in a peaceful, friendly and celebrative way,” Irvine said. “We’re all equal, everything needs to be in our hearts and in our minds.”
