The African American Cultural Center hosted an open-invite Juneteenth celebration complete with a live DJ, food provided by LSU dining and an address from both the cultural center’s director and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s executive associate vice president on Friday.

The event began at noon, but mashups of Beyonce songs could already be heard coming from the plaza in front of the campus Barnes & Noble 20 minutes before the first guests arrived, setting the scene for the celebration.

The AACC estimated 215 people attended the event, not counting those that neglected to sign in.

Later in the afternoon, attendees broke from conversing and enjoying the food to listen to the AACC’s Director, Percy Jackson, talk about the history of the holiday.

He explained how on June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas and officially announced that the Civil War was over, and all slaves were free. The Emancipation Proclamation had been given two years prior but didn’t have any tangible effect on southern states due to the lingering presence of confederate rebels. Juneteenth or “Freedom Day” was the beginning of real freedom for African Americans, Jackson said.

“The Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, for praying and for gathering with remaining family members,” Jackson said. “That is why this holiday is very important for our culture and very important for us as a people, so we want to make sure we celebrate it for many many years to come.”

Jackson then handed the microphone to Jan Barker-Alexander, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s executive associate vice president, who asked “How many of you all learned about Juneteenth in school?” 

Only one hand in the crowd went up. Barker-Alexander then emphasized the importance of education, calling the crowd to teach about the holiday in their homes and with their friends.

“There is a purpose to us coming together today, which is to acknowledge that this is a central, key part of American History,” Barker-Alexander said.

Rounds of applause and supportive shouts from the crowd followed the speeches. Shortly after the clamor died down, the music returned and a three-person line dance to the Cupid Shuffle broke out, quickly becoming a near 30-person dance.

Iriel Nunnery, a graduate assistant at the AACC and one of the leading event organizers, said striking a balance between having fun and celebrating progress while still understanding the significance of African American history in America was a key goal for the event.

“I hope people gain the importance of the holiday. That they know this is something we want to celebrate. We want to have a good time and enjoy the fact that we’ve progressed so much,” Nunnery said.

She also stressed the importance of the LSU community in making the event possible. The university’s human resources department played a massive role in spreading the word and recruiting volunteers, the athletics department donated a couple boxes of merchandise for the event’s raffle and LSU dining donated all the food, Nunnery said.

“All of our close sponsors have been amazing. Just talking to them and coordinating with them and them just genuinely giving their time and investing in our event has been amazing,” Nunnery said.

Many attendees said the AACC succeeded in putting on a great celebration.

“I’m just happy to have been around so many people who also support Juneteenth, especially since it’s not really taught,” said 23-year-old LSU graduate Calvin Bridges as he left the event, still dancing to the music. “I’m leaving here happy.”

Carianne Asberry, a 21-year-old interdisciplinary studies senior and former student government member, said she appreciates the progression of Juneteenth at LSU more than anything. During her time as a member of the Black Caucus in student government, Asberry said she helped fight to get the holiday recognized by the university.

“Seeing it go from not even on the school’s calendar to this big community event is great,” she said.

Asberry felt lucky to have even attended. She said she wasn’t aware the celebration was happening but happened to hear music while walking near the Union and decided to investigate. She said she was pleased with what she found.

“If you just follow the music on this campus,” Asberry said, “You’ll always find something.”