Performance at the 2022 Juneteenth Celebration at Georgia Tech.
The Georgia Tech campus will be closed on Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth, recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. Although the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 freed all slaves across the country, it wasn't until Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, on June 19, 1865 that slavery was officially abolished in the last Confederate-controlled state after the Civil War.
The following year, the date began to be celebrated as “Jubilee Day” among freed slaves in Texas. As formerly enslaved people moved across the country, this annual tradition took hold and eventually became known as Juneteenth.
Celebrating Juneteenth in Tech
Because campus is closed on Wednesday, Georgia Tech's Juneteenth celebration will be held on Tuesday, June 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the First Center for the Arts Plaza. Maurice Hobson will keynote the event, followed by an afternoon of entertainment, games and food showcasing Black culture.
The event, which is open to the public, will showcase the Black culture, innovation and technology sector, which is committed to blending culture and technology, fostering innovation and recognizing the contributions of Black Americans.
On June 18, the Parker H. Petit Bioengineering and Biosciences Institute’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee invites members of the IBB community to its annual Juneteenth ice cream party in the atrium of the Petit Biotech Building.
