History of Juneteenth
National History
History at William & Mary
William & Mary’s inaugural Juneteenth celebration was held virtually in 2021. A committee of community members, faculty, staff and students chaired by Chief Diversity Officer Chon Glover, is currently planning the university’s first in-person Juneteenth event for June 17, 2022. It will take place at the site of “Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved,” which will be dedicated in May 2022. The memorial is part of W&M’s continuing efforts to more fully recognize the vital contributions of African Americans to the university. The idea for the memorial came from the Lemon Project, a long-term research effort to explore the university’s history with slavery and its ongoing relationship with the African-American community. Juneteenth is another extension of those collective efforts.