The Power and Cultural Relevance of Music were at the Heart of Queensborough's Fifth Annual Juneteenth Celebration
“Thank you everyone for attending today for our Juneteenth Celebration 2026.”
So said Communication, Theatre, & Media Production Professor Gail Lewis before a packed Student Union on Thursday, June 18 to kick off this year’s Juneteenth celebration.
A portmanteau of June and nineteenth — Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 to mark the day (June 19, 1865) when union soldiers marched into Galveston, Texas to order the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, marking the end of slavery in the United States.
Though the day was celebrated unofficially since 1866, it wasn’t until 2021 that Juneteenth became a legitimate Federal Holiday; and one year later, Queensborough and the Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) started their own celebrations — something President Christine Mangino highlighted in her speech.
“We had this luncheon for the first time four years ago; it was just the BFSA and Cabinet in Oakland. It is so amazing that we’ve gotten to the point where so many people came intentionally to campus today to be a part of this celebration.”
And with those words, which later went on to praise the BFSA’s efforts throughout the academic year, Queensborough’s fifth annual Juneteenth Celebration was truly underway.
The theme for this year’s celebration was June is Black Music Month.
Said theme was established rather quickly thanks to the vibrant music that could be heard as soon as one walked into the SUL, as well as the row of books — such as, “Ska: The Rhythm of Liberation,” “Hip Hop Culture,” and “Listen to The Blues!: Exploring A Musical Genre” — lined up on a table in front of the Male Resource Center (MRC) that discussed influential music genres in black culture.
And then there was the main event which tied everything together: a mini-lecture from Music Professor Ernie Jackson.
Using events like the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing and Desegregation of Little Rock Central Highschool (Little Rock Nine) as examples, Jackson illustrated how black musicians at the time used such events as to create music that could be used as a call to action, a way to inform the public, or simply cope with difficult times.
He used three pieces in particular to drive his point home:
- “Alabama” by John Coltrane
- “Mississippi Goddamn” by Nina Simone
- “Fables of Faubus” by Charles Mingus
One thing he pointed out was how despite these pieces being inspired by similar cultural/political events, the ways each musician chose to confront them in their music differed wildly. For example, Coltrane adopted a sober tone with “Alabama,” which lies in stark contrast to the outright mockery employed by Mingus in “Fables of Faubus.”
It was a reminder of the importance of music within the black community, as well as the strength of music in general.
Afterwards, maintaining a focus on tracks of music — though with a lighter tone, Lewis introduced the last segment of the event: trivia. Each table was tasked with finishing the lyrics of a given song after listening to a few verses, and as a rare surprise for these kinds of events, everyone nailed the lyrics, so each table was eligible for a prize.
Finally, before closing out and heading to the flagpole to raise the Juneteenth flag and take a group photo, Lewis announced that Queensborough was gifted a proclamation from Governor Kathy Hochul which officially recognizes June 19 as Juneteenth.
From a muted celebration off the heels of COVID, to an uproarious one being celebrated alongside the state itself — Juneteenth at Queensborough has come a long way!
This year’s event made possible through the generous support of the Office of the President and the Morgan Stanley Career Exploration Fund.
The celebration featured catered food, courtesy of Southern Girls Soul Food — a Black-owned restaurant located in the heart of Jamaica, Queens.
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