University to celebrate Juneteenth Week with festival, film
Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Belonging Dr. Shawna Patterson-Stephens speaks to attendees of the Juneteenth Celebration on Wednesday, June 19, at Island Park. (CM Life photo | Kaia Zimmerman)
Central Michigan University’s Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will host the upcoming Juneteenth Week 2025 events.
Lead-up events will be held Monday, June 16 to Wednesday, June 18, with the annual Juneteenth celebration taking place from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at Island Park. The office collaborated with the Middle Michigan Development Corp. to plan and host the celebration.
Events include:
- A flag raising and kick-off Monday.
- Stacey Robinson, associate professor of Graphic Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will deliver a virtual keynote address at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Click here to RSVP.
- A showing of the PBS documentary series "Over the Great Migration" and lunch, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at French Auditorium. The menu includes including goat and veggie curry, fried fish, cabbage and red beans and rice. An RSVP is required.
- The annual Juneteenth celebration from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday in Island Park. Table reservations are still being accepted for those who want to participate.
Danny McQuarters Jr., assistant director of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said anyone in the Mount Pleasant community and surrounding areas is welcome to come to participate in the activities.
“We’re going to focus on highlights of Black history and things that have happened in American history in general,” McQuarters said. “This year we’re going to talk more about the good things that are happening and have happened after (the last of the enslaved persons had) been emancipated."
McQuarters said the theme for this year’s celebration is joy and community. Previous Juneteenth celebrations were held outside of Warriner Hall, but the location moved to Island Park as of 2024.
“We wanted to get community members engaged, and get CMU faculty and students to get out in the community,” he said. “We are going to keep up this tradition and grow it from there.”
McQuarters said the big celebration at Island Park will include nonprofit tabling, free food, crafts and several speakers, including CMU President Neil MacKinnon and Vice President of University Engagement and Student Affairs Shawna Patterson-Stephens. McQuarters said the event is a good way for everyone to get together and celebrate some of the positives of history.
“Juneteenth is a perfect time to come out and see that everyone is welcome here,” he said. “We need things to feel good today, and that will unite us.”
