Juneteenth and Kent State Logos

Juneteenth Jubilee

Kent State University will commemorate Juneteenth with a community celebration that combines the rich history of Black Americans with an assortment of festivities.

The Juneteenth Jubilee will be held on Friday, June 16, 2023, from 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. on the Kent Campus, Manchester Field. Enjoy live performances, music, great food, vendors and more. This event is free and open to the public.

See Schedule of Events See Vendors

ABOUT

On June 19, Americans across the country celebrate Juneteenth, the commemoration of the day in 1865 when enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, got the news that the Civil War had ended, and they were now free. Slavery in states engaged in rebellion against the Union had ended a full two years before, when President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation became official on Jan. 1, 1863. And it wasn’t long before Black Americans began to celebrate Juneteenth, the name derived from combining June and 19th.

In 1980, Texas began recognizing Juneteenth as an official state holiday, and in 2020, a total of 47 states and the District of Columbia recognizes the date as well. In 2021, the U.S. Senate and House passed measures to recognize Juneteenth National Independence Day as a federal holiday. President Joe Biden signed the legislation on June 17, 2021.

Kent State’s Student Multicultural Center hosted the 2021 Juneteenth Jubilee and Kent State students were integral in planning the event.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

  • 4:00 p.m. - Food trucks and vendors open
  • 4:30 p.m. - Mwatabu Okantah & Friends featuring Vince Robinson
  • 5:00 p.m. - Barefeet Dance Tribe (audience participation encouraged)
  • 5:30 p.m. - Archie Green/Peel Dem Layers Back featuring Cope Kingz
  • 6:00 p.m. - Nola Movement (audience participation encouraged)

 

photograph of archie green sitting on a couch

Archie Green/Peel Dem Layers Back

Archie Green, Founder of Peel Dem Layers Back, has sought his own healing through his pen and beats that have taken him beyond the studio and garnered local and national attention. Green advocates for mental health and has made history as the first rapper to perform at the world-renowned Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio. Green’s most recent album is Cope Dealer. The mission of Peel Dem Layers Back is to culturally educate, empower and equip Black men and boys with the essential tools necessary to live a mentally healthy life through a hip-hop lens.

Photo of the Barefeet Dance Tribe at an event

Barefeet Dance Tribe

Barefeet Dance Tribe is a uniquely combined traditional and modern African dance movement group. Kent State student Rumbidzai Mupinga established the group in 2010 and solely focuses on trying to educate others about different cultures and dance forms other than their own and to have fun while doing it. Barefeet targeted elementary students in the Kent area and has vastly attracted crowds of different ages. It now consists of elementary aged children to college students from around the Kent, Ohio, area, and in doing so Barefeet also promotes education and the social aspect of the continent of Africa.  

 

Photograph of a drummer at a set of drums

Mwatabu Okantah & Friends featuring Vince Robinson

A multimedia exploration. Enjoy poet Mwatabu S. Okantah, ’76, chair of the Department of Africana Studies, as he tells the story of self-discovery, healing and transformation rendered in original music and poetry set to music, with keyboard artist Vince Robinson and friends.

 

Photo of Nola Movement dance group - six people in a dance studio

Nola Movement

Experience top-rated Zumba and dance fitness. Nola Movement is a space for women to ignite and fuel their fire through physical movement, positive mindset practices, and community connection. Through movement events, speaking engagements, and coaching conversations, Nola Movement inspires women to take action in their lives. 

Vendors

There are vendor tables still available to reserve. If you are affiliated with a local business or organization and are interested in having a table at our event, please contact Brianna Molitor at bmolitor@kent.edu for more information.

Contact Us

email: diversity@kent.edu

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