Texas State University Celebrates Juneteenth

A Celebration of Resilience, Solidarity, and Black Culture.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated observance in the United States commemorating the end of enslavement for people of the African Diaspora. Juneteenth memorializes the date of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War ended the dehumanizing institution of slavery.

Juneteenth is an important day of reflection and solidarity for Texas State University. It is a time that we, as a Bobcat family, commit to continuing our restorative work toward racial justice to honor the dignity, rights, and worth of Black lives. To that end, several events are planned and supported by Texas State University Institutional Inclusive Excellence – Student Initiatives (IIE-SI). 

• In partnership with the Albert B. Alkek Library on the San Marcos Campus, IIE-SI will feature a commemorative Juneteenth gallery.
  • IIE Suite, Suite 2-20.2 in the LBJ Student Center. June 14-18, 2021

IIE-SI and the Texas State Center for Diversity & Gender Studies are sponsoring Juneteenth partners in support of two of the oldest Black community organizations in San Marcos, Texas -- the Calaboose African American History Museum and the Dunbar Heritage Association. These organizations, founded and led by Black leaders in the San Marcos community, have a rich and longstanding tradition of commemorating Juneteenth.

• IIE-SI, in partnership with the Calaboose African American History Museum, will celebrate the museum’s grand reopening, welcoming community members and partners of the San Marcos community, as well as distributing Juneteenth educational resources, Juneteenth buttons, and information about IIE-SI program and services.
  • 200 West MLK Drive. June 19, 2021, from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
• The Center for Diversity & Gender Studies, in partnership with the Dunbar Heritage Association, will be honoring Juneteenth during the association’s annual festival of activities, which include live gospel music, domino and spades tournaments, children’s activities, vendors, and 3-on-3 basketball. The featured speaker for the day will be Texas State’s very own Dr. Raphael Travis, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work and author of The Healing Power of Hip Hop.
  • Dunbar Park, 801 MLK Drive. June 19, 2021, 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.