The University of North Carolina at Greensboro will honor Juneteenth this year with historical walking tours on campus that showcase steps toward equality for African Americans.
At the UNCG library, tour-goers will find an 1845 printing of famed 19th-century orator and author Frederick Douglas’ autobiography. In the School of Music, in a protective glass enclosure, sits a trumpet once owned and played by pioneering jazz musician Miles Davis. Those are just some of the historic artifacts that will be revealed during the 30-minute self-guided walking tours.
One of the event organizers and Bryan School of Business and Economics faculty member Channelle James says integral to this Juneteenth tribute is the walk itself.
"Walking in terms of the health benefits, but also in terms of what happened during the civil rights movement as people walked toward justice," she says. "Of course at UNCG, UNCG had students who joined into the protests around the lunch counter, so walking and doing became a part of what we thought would be a good example."
Tours will include short talks by African American and African Diaspora Studies faculty and others and be followed by a 30-minute presentation on the artifacts on display including photographs of some of the first African American workers at the school. Passport to Juneteenth @UNCG begins Monday morning at the Curry Building on campus. The event is open to the public.