The Catholic University of America Alumni Engagement Office is hosting a Black Alumni Event for Juneteenth with Montgomery County Council Member Will Jawando, B.A. 2005, J.D. 2007, June 15 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.
“This holiday holds a very special meaning, and we're going to discuss how and why it should be celebrated,” said Sykeem Lewis, B.A. 2014, M.S.M. 2019, who serves as associate director of alumni engagement – Affinity Programming. “How do we celebrate it in our personal lives and respective careers? How do our CatholicU values align with the message of Juneteenth? Let's unpack and have a very engaging discussion.”
Get more information on the event.
Juneteenth was established as a federal holiday in 2021. It commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, word had not reached enslaved people in Texas until June 19, 1865.
The land where Catholic University is located was previously a site where a family enslaved people until 1862. The U.S. Catholic bishops purchased Middleton House and 65 acres to establish Catholic University in 1885. The deed recording the sale was signed by the famed orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, the city’s recorder of deeds.
Rich resources for exploring the long, fascinating history of Black Catholics in America are in the University archives.