With live music, food and vibrant dialogue, the College of DuPage (COD) honored Juneteenth on June 18 with a community-wide celebration focused on education and unity. The campus closed June 19 for the official day of recognition.
“This is not just a celebration,” Intercultural Student Initiatives Manager David Swope, Sr. said. “It’s an opportunity to educate, to listen, and to affirm. We want students and community members to see Juneteenth not as a distant historical date, but as something that connects to their own lives and the world around them.”
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Juneteenth marks the date in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas finally learned of their freedom, which was more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863.
Because Texas was the most remote Confederate state, law enforcement there delayed official emancipation until Union troops arrived to enforce it. Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday on June 17, 2021 by former President Joe Biden.
“For me, Juneteenth is as important as the Fourth of July,” Swope said. “You can’t be independent if everybody’s not independent.”
The celebration, hosted in the Student Resource Center (SRC) 2000, included a performance by Ivan Perkins and his Singers, arts and crafts, a historical exhibit with QR-code learning tools, and a keynote speech by historian and author Ernest Crim III. Students, faculty, local church members and community leaders gathered for the event, which also featured giveaways, literature and a reflection activity, Swope said.
“We want this to feel like a community picnic,” Swope said. “Juneteenth started outdoors, with music, food and celebration. We try to bring that spirit to our campus.”
This year’s keynote speaker, Ernest Crim III, is a published historian and educator who focuses on connecting historical injustices with modern-day challenges. Crim’s address encouraged students to think critically about their place in history and how they can shape the future through awareness and action.
“He’s someone who really helps put past and present into conversation,” Swope said. “It’s important for our students to hear that context, from 1865 to 2025, and understand where we all fit into it. ”
Members of COD’s Black Student Alliance (BSA) attended and highlighted student activism and cultural identity.
“Highlighting holidays like Juneteenth is so important for building community,” Vice President of BSA Sati Holloway said. “You can get so many different perspectives from so many different people. I was able to speak with people who had been celebrating Juneteenth even before it was a federal holiday, as well as those who had never heard of the holiday and came to learn more about it.”
According to Swope, times of national tension only make events like this more vital.
“We’re in an interesting time right now,” he said. “There’s division, there’s noise. But when people come together, share stories and respect each other, we all grow.”
That message is part of the broader mission of COD’s Intercultural Student Initiatives, which coordinates programming throughout the year, including Heritage Month celebrations, a speaker series and student-led panels. Highlighting COD’s broad diversity within the student body is essential, Swope said. According to the Spring 2025 student profile, 8% of students identify as Black or African American.
“I want students to feel inspired, encouraged, and connected,” he said. “Meet someone new. Ask questions. Feel challenged. Learn something. And if you don’t like the story you’re hearing? Write your own. You have that power, and that’s freedom, too.”
Located in the Student Services Center (SSC) room 1138, The Hub is open to all students seeking community, conversation or simply a space to belong, he said.
“If you want to visit the world, just spend a day at COD,” Swope said.
To learn more about BSA or Intercultural Student initiatives, contact David Swope, Sr. at [email protected].
