OHIO to host Juneteenth Celebration events on June 22

Ohio University will host its annual Juneteenth Celebration with a series of events for students, faculty, staff and community members on Saturday, June 22.

Recognized nationally on June 19 each year, Juneteenth marks the country’s second Independence Day. This year’s events on Ohio University’s Athens Campus will include a Black History Tour of Athens and the Juneteenth Festival.

All members of the Ohio University community are invited to the June 22 events, and volunteers are needed to help with the different activities. In addition, community organizations and vendors are invited to participate in the celebration.

OHIO’s Juneteenth Celebration events

Black History Tour of Athens, 10 a.m. until noon - All members of the Ohio University community are invited to participate in the tour, which will begin on the fourth floor of the Baker University Center. This special event will give participants the opportunity to learn more about the African American history of the community.

For more information or to register for the tour, please see this webpage.

Juneteenth Festival, 3-6 p.m. – Held on the College Green, the Juneteenth Festival will feature music, vendors offering food and merchandise, and activities for the whole family. Those attending are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets, water and sunscreen so they can enjoy music and the fun afternoon.

Those attending the Juneteenth Festival are invited to help out Bobcats in need by bringing donation items with them. A special table will be set up to accept donations. For more information about donations items that are needed,  please see this webpage.

Evening event at Jackie O's, 7-9 p.m. - All members of the OHIO community are invited to attend.

Southern Ohio Copperheads baseball game on June 19 - On Wednesday, June 19, the official Juneteenth Day, the organizers of OHIO's celebration invite the OHIO community to join them at the Southern Ohio Copperheads baseball game at Bob Wren Stadium on the Ohio University campus.

Juneteenth shirts - The Juneteenth Celebration committee members are selling Juneteenth Celebration shirts in child sizes for $15 and in adult sizes for $17 at this webpage.

For more information, please see the Juneteenth webpage.

How to get involved

Volunteers are needed to help with several of the Juneteenth Celebration activities. In order to volunteer to help with this year’s events, please see this webpage.

Community organizations and vendors (food and other items) are invited to table and offer services for free during the Juneteenth Festival.

• For more information on tabling at the Juneteenth Festival, please see this webpage.
• Information for vendors can be found at this webpage.

For additional information on Ohio University’s Juneteenth Celebration, please see the Juneteenth Celebration website.