The Community Correspondent role provides readers with on-the-ground and inclusive stories about the Port Huron area. This is made possible through funding provided by the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.

St. Clair Community College is offering an interactive community Juneteenth exhibit in the Fine Arts Building now through June 30 that highlights the significant history leading up to June 19, 1865, and the end of slavery.

The exhibit features notable figure posters, a timeline of the abolition of slavery, a freedom quilt, and many hands-on activities like creating a Juneteenth bracelet.

The national holiday of Juneteenth celebrates the date of June 19, 1865, when the Union Army freed 250,000 Black slaves in Galveston Bay, Texas, which was still under Confederate control. This event occurred over two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, an executive order that declared all enslaved people were to be freed within the Confederate states. The order led to the Thirteenth Amendment, passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, which eliminated slavery or involuntary servitude in the United States.

Juneteenth is associated with picnics, barbeques, and family reunions. In early history, it brought enslaved people together to reunite with their loved ones. The celebration now holds parades, concerts, prayer services, rodeos, baseball games, and fishing.

President of SC4, Kirk Kramer, states, “I warmly invite all members of our college community to join us in honoring Juneteenth. This important day marks a pivotal moment in American history, and our celebration is an opportunity to reflect, learn, and stand together in the spirit of freedom.”

The public is welcome to visit Monday-Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.