Canisius Celebrates Juneteenth
Dear Members of the Canisius Community,
The 5th annual Juneteenth Celebration at Canisius University will be held on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. All faculty, staff, and students are invited to share in a day of solidarity in honor of our African American community. This year’s event begins at 9:00 a.m. in the Science Hall Commons with a welcome by President Stoute and concludes with lunch. All are welcome and encouraged to participate, and we ask that you RSVP by Friday, June 6th.
In collaboration with Juneteenth Inc. of Buffalo, Canisius will host a Sankofa Day for the city-wide recognition. Sankofa means to “go back and get,” it recognizes the past while focusing on the future. Members of the campus and local community will participate in workshops and engage in service projects.
Juneteenth commemorates the anniversary of the date when news of emancipation finally reached most enslaved African Americans in Texas, and Canisius is proud to honor this day. It was on June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, along with more than 1,800 federal troops, arrived in Galveston, TX, to take control of the state from the Confederate rebellion, nearly two months after the war’s last major battle. Gen. Granger issued an order confirming the freedom promised in President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, freedom which was denied to them by the Confederate government.
Canisius’ Juneteenth celebration hopes to inspire conversation and action in our ongoing work toward anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion.
Members of the university are also invited to attend activities held throughout the month. For more details on events and opportunities to volunteer for the city of Buffalo Juneteenth Celebration, please visit Juneteenth Buffalo.
