The Office of Minority Educational Development within Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, along with Student Diversity Programs in the Division of Student Engagement and Well-Being, will host the second annual Georgia Tech Juneteenth celebration on Friday, June 17 at the GT Connector.

Under the leadership of Jelani Liddell, assistant director of the Office of Minority Educational Development (OMED), and associate dean Stephanie Ray, director of Student Diversity Programs (SDP), the Georgia Tech community is coming together to offer a meaningful and joyful event in celebration of the newest Federal and State holiday, and Georgia Tech faculty, staff, students, and their families are all invited!

Liddell states, “OMED’s first Juneteenth event in 2021 planted the seeds for this year’s much larger celebration, which has grown thanks to our partnership with SDP. We are glad to have so many supporters this year, including Housing and Residence Life and volunteers from multiple departments, and look forward to collaborating with the full Tech community in the years to come, evidence of the diversity and inclusion we are fostering on this campus.”

The 2022 Juneteenth celebration will begin at 11 am in the auditorium at Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons with a keynote address from Damon P. Williams, a senior lecturer, and director of the Center for Academics, Success, and Equity in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. The executive director of Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, S. Gordon Moore Jr., will kick off the event with a message of welcome, after which Williams will offer his keynote speech; the morning will conclude with a Q&A session moderated by students from the African American Student Union. As a special incentive, the first 100 Georgia Tech students who attend the keynote will be given a free meal ticket to use at the festival immediately following!

The Juneteenth festival, open from noon until 3 p.m. at the GT Connector, will feature music, dance, food, and games, a perfect way to celebrate with participants of all ages! There will be face painting, table games, mini-soccer and more to take part in. The festival stage will feature performances by Giwayen Mata, an all-female African dance, percussion, and vocal ensemble; magician Kofi Adams; Digital Dance Culture, a pioneer and trust of authentic American street dance cultures; and spoken word artist, Ahmariah Jackson.

Contact Jelani Liddell at jelani@gatech.edu for more information.