Northern Kentucky University students will launch a new exhibit to celebrate and pay tribute to Juneteenth at the Southgate Street School in Newport.
NKU’s Master of Public History program, in partnership with the City of Newport, will be unveiling a new exhibit to celebrate and pay tribute to Juneteenth, the annual holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
The event is scheduled for Friday, June 9 at 11 a.m. at 215 E. Southgate St. in Newport.
The exhibit will showcase the work and research of NKU Master of Public History program students on Juneteenth, including the holiday’s origin, the history after that, and what Juneteenth means to Americans today.
After emancipation, the Southgate Street School was the only school open for Black students in Campbell County. The building is now a museum dedicated to showcasing Newport’s history.
Juneteenth, also known as “Freedom Day,” marks the date of June 19, 1865, the day a group of enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free.
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but it wasn’t until two years later that the news had finally circulated all the way across the country.
Today, communities around the country celebrate this federal holiday with food, family and joy.