The Juneteenth Flag was created by Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation.

CSUN and the California State University (CSU) system are celebrating the first year since Juneteenth was acknowledged as a federal holiday with events and learning opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the community.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. From its origin as a proclamation in Galveston, Texas, in 1865, the observance of June 19 as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the nation and beyond.

The CSU kicked off its inaugural Juneteenth Symposium on June 15, celebrating African American history and achievement and promoting and sustaining the anti-racism work underway across the CSU’s 23 campuses. The event features keynote addresses by Cornel West, Edward Bush, J. Luke Wood and CSU Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester. The online symposium continues tomorrow, June 16, and can be viewed via livestream on the CSU’s website.

CSUN’s University Student Union is celebrating Juneteenth on its Instagram page, sharing content highlighting the meaning of Juneteenth to the CSUN community. Submit a photo and/or video, with a quote or description of what Juneteenth means to you, and you could win a CSUN parking pass, gas card or other prizes.

Whether you are attending a CSUN event or one of the many other local events, take some time in honor of Juneteenth to celebrate freedom and look to the road ahead to realize a just society for all.

**A previous version of this story stated that 2022 was the first year that Juneteenth will be celebrated as a federal holiday. This was incorrect. Juneteenth was made a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, making 2022 its second year as a federal holiday. We regret the error.