Purdue University Northwest recognizes Juneteenth with a Celebrate Freedom Day

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will celebrate Juneteenth from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, June 19 in Founders Plaza north of the Student Union and Library Building, 2233 173rd Street, Hammond, IN.

PNW’s Juneteenth recognition, titled “Celebrate Freedom Day,” is free and open to the public. The event is collaboratively produced by PNW’s Cultural Heritage Celebration Committee and Office of Student Life.

Event features will include performances by the Portage High School “Steppaz” step-dance team and the Lauren Dukes band; roller skating and laser tag provided by ThrillAmaze Mobile Family Entertainment; art activities such as bracelet-making and map-stitching; and food.

Educational table stations at the celebration will include a display on Black athletes in history by the department of History, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Juneteenth-centric reading materials from PNW Libraries and a display by the Celebrating Naomi Anderson project.

In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved indoors to Alumni Hall in the Student Union and Library Building. For additional details, visit pnw.edu/juneteenth.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 when news of emancipation reached Black slaves in Galveston Bay, Texas, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The date serves as a chance to reflect on the end of chattel slavery in the U.S. and ongoing work to break down barriers of systemic racism.