PirateQ 
Anderson-Steele
The young and young-at-heart all turned out for Pensacola State College’s annual Juneteenth observance on Sunday, June 18.
More than 150 attendees helped the College celebrate Juneteenth ─ the newest federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.
“This was a phenomenal celebration with some amazing talent in the room,” said PSC Professor Tonie Anderson-Steele, event organizer and Milton campus dean and counselor.
“The celebration vibes were high. Our guests truly enjoyed the history, the entertainment, the food, the vendors, and each other. It was an amazing event.”
Juneteenth, a combination of June and 19th, is called Emancipation Day. It marks the day in 1865 after the Confederate states surrendered to end the Civil War when a Union general arrived in Texas to inform a group of enslaved Black Americans of their freedom under President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Texas has recognized the holiday since 1980. In 2021, Juneteenth was designated a federal holiday.
The College’s Juneteenth festival included performances by African drummers Polimbatree, vocalist Jakima and Soulful Movement dance company, as well as poetry by Ericka Streeter-Hodge and other poets. The event began with singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and included a presentation by Dr. Cheryl Howard of the Florida Emancipation Proclamation.
Held from 1-3 p.m. in the Delaino Student Center on the Pensacola campus, the free event was sponsored by the College’s Black History and Multicultural Committee, the African American Student Association, Polimbatree and the African American Heritage Society of Pensacola.
To view the PSC Juneteenth celebration, visit https://vimeo.com/838412850?fbclid=IwAR2KYcNK83IsRQHvtviKBl9eGlCJS00jtAZV3LOO7eZO37fTtRDIMt3BE9k.
Photos courtesy of the Pensacola News Journal
