Hosted by the School of Medicine’s Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OHEDI), the University of Utah held its inaugural Juneteenth Summit on June 15, 2022. The summit drew community members together to learn about the history of Juneteenth; celebrate Black excellence in Utah; and provide opportunities to discuss BIPOC resources, calls to action, and activism.
Officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, and Black Independence Day. The day commemorates June 19, the momentous day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, then Texas’ largest city, learned of their freedom. The idea for the summit blossomed out of a desire to spotlight the newly appointed state holiday and create intentional connections surrounding Black resilience, determination, and progress towards racial justice.
Led by OHEDI Director Tashelle Wright, MSPH, PhD, the office collaborated with the University of Utah Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (UHEDI), University of Utah Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), Black Cultural Center (BCC), and Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) to create an engaging full-day hybrid event featuring poets, instructional presentations, interactive panels, and the highly anticipated keynote speaker, Ms. Betty Sawyer. Over 125 individuals were in attendance, representing educational, medical, non-profit, and social organizations throughout Utah.
Throughout the day, folks gathered in the Bill & Pat Child Community Hall and on Zoom to reflect through shared experiences, socialize over locally catered Haitian cuisine (Makaya Caters), and uplift one another. This opportunity to commit to intersectional conversations offered a much-needed platform to discuss collective efforts and a wealth of resources throughout Utah.
OHEDI Program Coordinator Jacey Nguyen, MPA, reflected on the event:
“We were excited to feature so many incredible speakers to share their lived experiences, advice, art, and history. It was such an honor to highlight Black excellence while discussing ways we can grow to better empower and advocate for the Black community here in Utah. The work continues and is best done together.”
While this event may have served as the first Juneteenth Summit for the university, the U community is already working to build toward next year’s events and continue the work towards sustainable equity, diversity, and inclusion. We invite you to learn more about the history of Juneteenth and explore the resources below: