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GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — People across the country gathered to celebrate and recognize Juneteenth, including several events held in the Triad.
Dozens of people attended the “Passport to Juneteenth @UNCG” walking campus tour, showcasing the history of African Americans at UNC-Greensboro and in society.
“What we’re saying with this Juneteenth is that Juneteenth is about the liberation of African American people. We know that it happened. It was about one group of people in Texas. But the idea of liberation for Black people is something that we’re celebrating,” said UNCG Juneteenth Committee Chair Channelle James, dean’s fellow for school climate and Bryan School of Business and Economics faculty member.
Departments across UNCG’s campus collaborated for the “Passport to Juneteenth @UNCG,” walking tour of 11 significant campus locations.
The 30-minute tour started at the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, where guests scanned a QR code for the tour route and details about each stop.
“There’s a lot of history about the contributions of African Americans at UNCG that has been preserved by faculty who’ve done research but also just the university remembering, even from the first days of when the campus started, who those people are by name,” said James.
UNCG’s Juneteenth planning committee intentionally wanted the event to have an active element.
“There is so much connection between the African American community and walking, particularly for justice and civil rights,” said James. “ … But also, there’s a need to encourage health and activity in the African American community.”
Community members, UNCG students and faculty participated in the walking tour.
There were stops at the Foust building, the oldest on campus and likely the first building where African Americans worked at UNCG, and the Elliott University Center, where they honored beloved past UNCG Director of Multicultural Affairs Pamela Wilson and gave a short presentation about Opal Lee, who is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth.
This is the third annual Juneteenth event at UNCG.
“I like the progression that Juneteenth has gotten over the years. So I’ve seen it grow from the small seeds to this big flower. So, it’s also very nice to see how everyone is coming together to celebrate as well,” said Shay Bracewell, attendee.
“I really hope that in the near future that other African American students like myself also can come to one of these events just to learn about the history and to learn about the groundbreaking that some of these people did to pave ways for all of us also,” said Adrianna Odom, attendee.
The tour ended with a presentation at the Jackson Library, where people checked out the library collections highlighting African American history, including an 1845 printing of Frederick Douglass’ “Life and Narrative of Frederick Douglass.”
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