Annual NC Juneteenth Celebration To Be Held On NC Central Campus

DURHAM, NC — Celebrate Juneteenth! Spectacular Magazine and Triangle Cultural Awareness Foundation will present the 19th Annual NC Juneteenth Celebration on June 15, 2024, from 1 pm to 8 pm on the campus of NCCU in the Latham Surface Lot (705 E. Lawson Street). Officially sanctioned by the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, this fun-filled, educational, and uplifting festival will feature national recording artists and local performers, food trucks, vendors, a health fair, a Kids zone, exhibitors, and more! 

The festival kicks off with the official Opening Ceremony, which includes a processional with dancers, drummers, and the community. This is followed by a prayer, proclamations, the pouring of the libation, and presentations on the origin and significance of Juneteenth. 

Entertainment throughout the day will feature national recording artists and local performers. Vendors sell an array of African and African-American clothing, art and artifacts, specialty items, and crafts. Food trucks will offer a variety of delicious foods. The Kids Zone has games, face painting, crafts, and other fun educational activities and information. The Health Fair includes screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and COVID. Medical professionals from area health centers and hospitals are available for consultations.

Organizations will have Exhibitor Booths to inform the men, women, youth, and families of services (mentoring, tutoring, mental health, substance abuse, job services, etc.) and activities (summer camp, day camp, after-school, athletic teams, etc.) available in the surrounding areas. Experts in their respective fields provide information, activities, and demonstrations.

Click here to register as a vendor, food truck, or exhibitor.

Complimentary parking will be available in the Latham Parking Deck. 

History of Juneteenth

On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation set the United States on the path of ending slavery. A wartime measure issued by President Abraham Lincoln, the proclamation freed relatively few slaves, but it fueled the fire of the enslaved to strike for their freedom. The celebration of Juneteenth originates in Galveston,

Texas, where on June 19, 1865, the word of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the enslaved. Often cited as the African American Independence Day, Juneteenth has been the subject of city, state, and federal legislation in recent years, establishing it as a special day of recognition and as one of the fastest-growing events in the country.

The 13th Amendment, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, abolished slavery in the United States. It provided that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

Today, Juneteenth is embraced and celebrated by all races and ethnicities to honor and commemorate African American culture and achievements. In 2007, North Carolina became the 26th state to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday or a state holiday observance when it is recognized nationally. In April 2009, the Juneteenth Celebration in Durham was officially designated as The Annual North Carolina Juneteenth Celebration by the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. On June 17, 2021, it was officially announced that June 19 will be known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a US federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

History of Juneteenth: http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm