Juneteenth, which will take place on June 19, 2022, observes the abolishment of slavery in the United States and is considered the longest running African American holiday in the U.S.
The tradition dates to June 19, 1865, when federal troops reached Galveston, Texas, to enforce the abolishment of slavery and to inform those enslaved that they were free. Texas was the last state in the union to cede control and free all enslaved people. It took the troops two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas.ย
To honor this historic day at the College of Charleston, the Whipper Grant Caucus, a Staff Advisory Committee affinity group for Black faculty and staff and their allies, with the support of schools, departments and offices across campus, will host the inaugural Maroon Walk for Juneteenth on June 9, 2022, at 11 a.m. The name, Maroon Walk for Juneteenth, honors the African American settlements established by fugitive slaves known as maroons. ย
The caucus will decorate the campus with CofC Pan African flags. The colors of the flag hold significance: red for the blood shed by Africans who died fighting for liberation and the shared blood of the African people; black for Black people; and green for the growth and natural fertility of Africa.ย ย
In addition to the flags, members of the caucus will take participants on a half-mile walk through campus that will highlight sites where African Americans made an indelible contribution to the CofC campus. A few of the sites along the route include the Edward Leon Guenveur House and Lauretta Goodall-Guenveur Garden, the Solar Pavilion, Rivers Green and the Knox-Lesesne House.ย
The walk will start promptly at 11 a.m. at the Goodall-Guenveur Garden located at 57 Coming Street and will be followed by a luncheon at the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library. Faculty and staff may RSVP using this link.
