Community Reads Centers Conversation on Juneteenth
Published: May 25, 2022 | Author: Kenzie Lundberg | Read Time: 2 minutes
Southern Utah University Community Education is collaborating with the Cedar City Library to facilitate a Community Reads Conversation in honor of the Juneteenth holiday on June 15, 2022, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Cedar City Library. The discussion will center around the autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs. While supplies last, free copies of the book will be available for pick-up at the Cedar City Library with event registration.
“We hope that families and neighbors will read and discuss this book together,” said Melynda Thorpe, SUU Community and Professional Development executive director. “Its historical significance and unique perspective can help us understand the importance of cultural diversity, belonging, and empathy and highlight the sociocultural differences between the life of a slave girl and life in a modern, rural, American community.”
The event is family-friendly and will be facilitated by Dr. Jean Boreen, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at SUU, and Janice Brooks, past chairwoman of the Utah Humanities Council.
Commemorated annually on June 19, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. Also known as June Nineteenth, Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, Liberation Day, or Emancipation Day, the holiday marks the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Texas to free the remaining enslaved African Americans. Though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed two and a half years prior, Juneteenth honors the official end of slavery in the United States.
Published in 1861, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is one of the few existing slave narratives written by a woman. The account chronicles the remarkable odyssey of Jacobs (1813–1897) whose dauntless spirit and faith carried her from a life of servitude and degradation in North Carolina to liberty and reunion with her children in the North.
The SUU Office of Regional Services has generously donated books for this event. Register on Eventbrite and show your Eventbrite ticket to the library staff to receive your free book.
This year, SUU is commemorating Juneteenth for the first time. This year’s theme, Juneteenth: A Past, Present, and Future American Celebration was chosen to invite all to learn and reaffirm the shared history and shared future of American communities, and to celebrate the progress made as a nation to fulfill the founding principle of freedom. The T-bird family and Cedar City community are invited to join the events, learn and celebrate.
SUU’s Community Education program offers classes, workshops and events for the purpose of generating fun, cultural and educational opportunities for those who love to learn. While increasing participant knowledge, programs provide non-credit experiences for community members wishing to develop new hobbies, skills and areas of personal interest. For more information, or assistance registering for this Community Reads Juneteenth Conversation, call SUU Community Education at (435) 865-8259.
Tags: Regional Services Community and Professional Development Community