Roundtable discussions of “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed continue today, June 22, with a meeting at 1 p.m. in the Student Success Conference Room (can also attend via Zoom with meeting ID: 86326730510).

Historical spotlight

“The Juneteenth flag is full of symbolism. Juneteenth flag designer L.J. Graf packed lots of meaning into her design. The colors red, white and blue echo the American flag to symbolize that the enslaved people and their descendants were Americans. The star in the middle pays homage to Texas, while the bursting ‘new star’ on the ‘horizon’ of the red and blue fields represents a new freedom and a new people” (Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501680/12-things-you-might-not-know-about-juneteenth).

LLCC’s Juneteenth flag was raised on Thursday, June 16, with the help of youth in the NextLevel program.

A Juneteenth celebration was held yesterday in A. Lincoln Commons from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event featured a welcome, reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, a Juneteenth display, trivia, music provided by D.J. Yinka and food from Gertrude’s Taste of Heaven by local caterer Lisa Johnson.

Roundtable discussions of “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed continue tomorrow, June 22, with a meeting at 1 p.m. in the Student Success Conference Room (can also attend via Zoom with meeting ID: 86326730510).

Historical spotlight

“Juneteenth is now a federal holiday. Thanks to the efforts of 94-year-old activist Opal Lee, who began walking state-to-state to draw attention to the cause in 2016, Congress passed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021.  President Biden signed the bill into law on June 17, 2021.” (Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501680/12-things-you-might-not-know-about-juneteenth)

Learn more by visiting the LLCC Juneteenth Guide at https://library.llcc.edu/juneteenth.

A Juneteenth celebration will be held today, June 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in A. Lincoln Commons. The event is open to the public and features a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, a Juneteenth display, free haircuts provided by the University of Spa and Cosmetology Arts, music provided by D.J. Yinka and food from Gertrude’s Taste of Heaven by local caterer Lisa Johnson.

Learn more about LLCC’s Juneteenth activities.

Historical spotlight

“Texas was the first state to declare Juneteenth a state holiday. Texas deemed the holiday worthy of statewide recognition in 1980, becoming the first state to do so.” (Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501680/12-things-you-might-not-know-about-juneteenth)

Learn more by visiting the LLCC Juneteenth Guide at https://library.llcc.edu/juneteenth.

“Juneteenth celebrations waned for several decades. It wasn’t because people no longer wanted to celebrate freedom — but, as Slate so eloquently put it, ‘it’s difficult to celebrate freedom when your life is defined by oppression on all sides.’ Juneteenth celebrations waned during the era of Jim Crow laws until the civil rights movement of the 1960s, when the Poor People’s March planned by Martin Luther King Jr. was purposely scheduled to coincide with the date. The march brought Juneteenth back to the forefront, and when march participants took the celebrations back to their home states, the holiday was reborn.” (Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501680/12-things-you-might-not-know-about-juneteenth)

Learn more at LLCC’s upcoming Juneteenth activities, including a celebration on Monday, June 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons and a book read of “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed. Get more details.

June 17-19 is 217 Black Restaurant Weekend. Now in its third year, the event aims to counter economic disparity within black-owned businesses with fun and interactive solutions that engage, excite and ignite a deeper understanding and appreciation of Springfield’s food culture. LLCC is sponsoring Jerk Shop Go, located in downtown Springfield.

Roundtable discussions of “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed begin today with a meeting at 1 p.m. in the R.H. Stephens Room (can also attend via Zoom with meeting ID: 86326730510).

June 17-19 is 217 Black Restaurant Weekend. Now in its third year, the event aims to counter economic disparity within black-owned businesses with fun and interactive solutions that engage, excite and ignite a deeper understanding and appreciation of Springfield’s food culture. LLCC is sponsoring Jerk Shop Go, located in downtown Springfield.

A Juneteenth celebration will be held June 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in A. Lincoln Commons.

Learn more about LLCC’s upcoming Juneteenth activities.

Historical spotlight

“There were limited options for celebrating. When freed people tried to celebrate the first anniversary of the announcement a year later, they faced a problem: Segregation laws were expanding rapidly, so there were no public places or parks they were permitted to use. In the 1870s, former enslaved people pooled together $800 and purchased 10 acres of land, which they deemed ‘Emancipation Park.’ Until the 1950s, it was the only public park and swimming pool in the Houston area that was open to African Americans.” (Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501680/12-things-you-might-not-know-about-juneteenth)

“Freedom created other problems. Despite the announcement, Texas slave owners weren’t too eager to part with what they felt was their property. When freed people tried to leave, many of them were beaten, lynched or murdered. ‘They would catch [freed slaves] swimming across [the] Sabine River and shoot them,’ a former enslaved person named Susan Merritt recalled.” (Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501680/12-things-you-might-not-know-about-juneteenth)

Learn more at LLCC’s upcoming Juneteenth activities, including a celebration on June 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons and a book read of “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed. Get more details.

June 17-19 is 217 Black Restaurant Weekend. Now in its third year, the event aims to counter economic disparity within black-owned businesses with fun and interactive solutions that engage, excite and ignite a deeper understanding and appreciation of Springfield’s food culture. LLCC is sponsoring Jerk Shop Go, located in downtown Springfield.

“Not all enslaved people were freed instantly. Texas is a large state, and General Granger’s order (and the troops needed to enforce it) was slow to spread. According to historian James Smallwood, many enslavers deliberately suppressed the information until after the harvest, and some beyond that. In July 1867 there were two separate reports of enslaved people being freed, and one report of a Texas horse thief named Alex Simpson, whose enslaved people were only freed after his hanging in 1868.” (Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501680/12-things-you-might-not-know-about-juneteenth)

Learn more at LLCC’s upcoming Juneteenth activities, including a celebration on June 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons and a book read of “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed. Get more details.

June 17-19 is 217 Black Restaurant Weekend. Now in its third year, the event aims to counter economic disparity within black-owned businesses with fun and interactive solutions that engage, excite and ignite a deeper understanding and appreciation of Springfield’s food culture. LLCC is sponsoring Jerk Shop Go, located in downtown Springfield.

“The Scatter” — “Most freedpeople weren’t terribly interested in staying with the people who had enslaved them, even if pay was involved. In fact, some were leaving before Granger had finished making the announcement. What followed became known as ‘the scatter,’ when droves of former enslaved people left the state to find family members or more welcoming accommodations in northern regions.” (Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501680/12-things-you-might-not-know-about-juneteenth)

Learn more at LLCC’s upcoming Juneteenth activities, including a celebration on June 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons and a book read of “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed. Get more details.

June 17-19 is 217 Black Restaurant Weekend. Now in its third year, the event aims to counter economic disparity within black-owned businesses with fun and interactive solutions that engage, excite and ignite a deeper understanding and appreciation of Springfield’s food culture. LLCC is sponsoring Jerk Shop Go, located in downtown Springfield.

“The Juneteenth announcement actually urged freedmen and freedwomen to stay with their former owners. General Order No. 3, as read by General Granger, said: ‘The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.'” (Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501680/12-things-you-might-not-know-about-juneteenth)

Learn more at LLCC’s upcoming Juneteenth activities, including a celebration on June 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in A. Lincoln Commons and a book read of “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed. Get more details.

June 17-19 is 217 Black Restaurant Weekend. Now in its third year, the event aims to counter economic disparity within black-owned businesses with fun and interactive solutions that engage, excite and ignite a deeper understanding and appreciation of Springfield’s food culture. LLCC is sponsoring Jerk Shop Go, located in downtown Springfield.