St. Paul – Feeding Our Souls: The Essence of Juneteenth Joy with Dr. Jessica B. Harris
2025-06-18 17:15 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Minnesota History Center, 345 W Kellogg Blvd, St. Paul, MN, 55102, United States
Culinary historian, author of 15 books, including the New York Times bestseller High on the Hog, winner of two NAACP Image Awards, a Peabody Award, and James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement award winner Dr. Jessica B. Harris will be in conversation with MHC CEO Kevin Lindsey about the role food plays in shaping our identities and understandings of cultural heritage.

After the program, guests will be invited to mingle and taste samples of several local chefs’ signature dishes.

Featured Chefs

Chef Lutunji Abram – Lutunji’s Palate
Chef Jamal Hashi – Lux Catering
Chef James Johnson – Cooks of Hope
Chef Mateo Mackbee – Krewe Restaurant
Chef Rayo Odedina – Jokky Catering Services
Chef Robert Taylor – Dreamland Culinary Heritage

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services will be available at this event.

Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org

Register Now

Thank you to our sponsors!

Minneapolis – Juneteenth Brunch & Conversation with Sherrilyn Ifill
2025-06-19 09:15 - 11:15 | Quincy Hall, 1325 Quincy St NE, Minneapolis, MN, 55413, United States
Sherrilyn Ifill is the current Vernon Jordan Professor of Law of Civil Rights at Howard University School of Law and was the former President and Director–Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. (LDF). Her book, On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the 21st Century, is credited with laying the foundation for contemporary conversations about lynching and racial reconciliation. She is also a frequent commentator on affirmative action, policing, judicial nominees, and the United States Supreme Court.

Ifill recently launched the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy at Howard University and is currently completing a new book about race and the current crisis in American democracy entitled, Is This America? Register now to fill your body and soul with a delicious breakfast while hearing from renowned civil rights lawyer and scholar Sherrilyn Ifill.

Two meal options will be available depending on dietary restrictions.

Brunch Brisket Quiche: Pastry crust with egg custard, barbecue beef brisket, peppers, and onions served with breakfast bean hash (seasoned baked beans, diced potatoes, tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno), and seasoned grilled watermelon.

Vegan Scramble (Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten and Dairy Free, No beef option): Vegan eggs with with spinach, onion, and mushroom served with breakfast bean hash (seasoned vegan baked beans, diced potatoes, tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno) and seasoned grilled watermelon.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services will be available at this event.

Registration
Registration Questions: jessica@mnhum.org

Individual Tickets – $100

Individual Registration

Group Tickets

Full Table (10 Tickets) – $800Half Table (5 Tickets) – $400

Group Registration

Thank you to our sponsors!

St. Paul – Juneteenth Family Day with Anika Foundation
2025-06-21 12:00 - 18:00 | State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, St. Paul, MN, 55155, United States
Minnesota Humanities Center is proud to sponsor the Anika Foundation Juneteenth Family Celebration! Join us for family friendly fun, games, and community.
This event is free and open to all.
Learn More

Minneapolis – Reconstruction Destructed Film & Community Conversation
2025-06-25 18:00 - 21:00 | Capri Theater, 2027 W Broadway, Minneapolis, 55411, United States
Reconstruction Destructed, sixth in the “Juneteenth Reckoning with Slavery” film series, aims to shine a light on the most misunderstood period in American History and why it remains critically important to understand today. “It challenges our understanding of the impact of slavery and its ongoing impact throughout the United States,” said Monique Linder, Film Director and CEO, OMG Studios. “As our nation struggles to come to grips with our history of racial caste, the legal luminaries, civil rights leaders, and educational scholars are excellent guides not only to illuminate the past but more importantly to provide a path forward,” added Kevin Lindsey, CEO, Minnesota Humanities Center.

The film features Minnesota Federal District Court Judge Jerry Blackwell, Bryan Stevenson, Esq., Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, Dr. Josie R. Johnson, University of Minnesota Regent and First Lady of Minnesota Civil Rights, and Dr. Duchess Harris, Special Assistant to the Provost and American Studies Professor at Macalester College. Some of the Filming of Reconstruction Destructed occurred at The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, one of America’s premiere museums examining America’s history of racial injustice.

K-12 educators will receive 2 clock hours.

Registration
Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org

Register Now

Thank you to our sponsors!

St. Paul – Kumbayah, The Juneteenth Story: Special Edition
2025-06-27 14:00 - 16:00 | The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55105, United States
This theatrical experience, written by Rose McGee, takes audiences on a journey into the past, addressing the origins of Juneteenth and the imagined impact on the lives of individuals hearing the news of the Emancipation Proclamation and that the Civil War was over.

Presented in partnership with Sweet Potato Comfort Pie.

Registration
This performance is free to attend, but registration is required.

Registration Questions: oshaughnessy@stkate.edu

Register Now

Thank you to our sponsors!

Minneapolis - Juneteenth Brunch
2026-06-18 08:45 - 11:00 | Quincy Hall, 1325 Quincy St NE, Minneapolis, MN, 55413, United States
Please join us for the annual Juneteenth Brunch to hear award-winning author and poet Clint Smith in conversation with MHC’s CEO Kevin Lindsey. Their conversation will connect the history of Juneteenth to the broader American story – examining how freedom has been defined, delayed, expanded, and calls of us today.

In addition to wonderful food, music, and company, all attendees will receive a copy of Mr. Smith’s book, How the Word is Passed: Remembering Slavery and How It Shaped America.

Since 2022, MHC has hosted a series of Juneteenth events to examine African American narratives, history, and experience in fulfilling the ideals articulated within the Declaration of Independence.
Registration
For KMOJ discount please email Jessica Rust at jessica@mnhum.org.

Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org

Individual Tickets: Register now to take advantage of special early bird pricing that ends on Tuesday, May 26: $75 for individual tickets.

Price will go up to $100 per ticket on Wednesday, May 27.

Individual Ticket

Full (10 seats) or Half Tables (5 seats): Buy your tables now to take advantage of special early bird pricing that ends on Tuesday, May 26: $700 for a full table, $350 for a half table, and $600 for nonprofit full table, $300 for a half table.

Price will go up to $800 for a full table, $400 for a half table on Wednesday, May 27.

Full or Half Table

Funders and Supporters

St. Paul - Feeding Our Souls: The Essence of Juneteenth Joy
2026-06-23 17:30 - 20:30 | St. Paul College, 235 Marshall Ave, St. Paul, 55102, United States
Upon hearing the news of the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans celebrated by singing songs of worship, dancing, and eating good food. In commemoration, MHC invites you to Jubilee where you will enjoy Spirituals and music from Vocal Essence under the direction of G. Phillip Shoultz, hear stories about the wonderful intersection of food and music, and be treated to delicious dishes and treats from prominent local Black chefs:

Chef Lutunji Abram
Chef Jamal Hashi
Chef James “Jay” Johnson
Chef Mateo Mackbee
Chef Motunrayo “Rayo” Odedina
Chef Robert Taylor

Since 2022, MHC has offered a series of Juneteenth events to examine African American narratives, history, and experience in fulfilling the ideals articulated within the Declaration of Independence.

Registration
For KMOJ discount please email Jessica Rust at jessica@mnhum.org.

Registration Questions: registrations@mnhum.org

Register Now

Funders and Supporters

St. Paul - Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story, 30th Anniversary
2026-06-26 14:00 - 16:30 | The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, MN, 55105, United States
Join us for the 30th anniversary of this beloved stage performance that brings the audience on a journey through time and the imagined impact of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story, written by Rose McGee, is a 90-minute two-act play that addresses a factual and traumatic time in our history – when news was deliberately withheld that Black people were no longer to be kept enslaved in this country. Storytelling and music weave together mesmerizing scenes. Although tragedy is depicted, this play within a play is tremendously uplifting. For this anniversary performance, the audience will be treated to special guest appearances from cast members from previous years, who grew up as a part of this important story.

Although interpretation is best suited for ages 8 and up, children of all ages are welcome to attend.
Registration
This event is free, however registration through The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine’s University is required.

Registration Questions: oshaughnessy@stkate.edu

Register Now

Funders and Supporters

Minneapolis - The Making of America Film Premiere & Gallery Reception
2026-06-28 12:00 - 16:00 | Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 3rd Ave S, Minneapolis, 55404, United States
Directed by Monique Linder, and produced by OMG Studios in partnership with MHC, the film explores how Enlightenment-era systems of knowledge—art, science, architecture, and cartography—produced enduring frameworks for racial slavery, territorial extraction, and Indigenous dispossession in what became the United States of America. The film, the seventh in the Juneteenth Reckoning with Slavery film series from OMG Studios, advances the argument that these outcomes were deliberate consequences of its visual and systemic commitments to order, hierarchy, and control.

“After our last film about Reconstruction Destructed, I felt it was important that the next film go back to the very beginning, the making of America. This film really helps tie all the pieces in the Juneteenth Reckoning with Slavery film series together in a significant way. I’m looking forward to sharing it with others.” – Monique Linder, Director

Join us inside the beautiful Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) for a reception with refreshments before and after the film, and to view a collection of stunning works from artists who are supporting the messages of this film through their own artistic voices.

This film is presented in partnership and co-produced with our valued partners at OMG Media Solutions.

Important Venue Notice: The Making of America premiere and art showcase is an independent production of OMG Media Solutions. The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is generously serving as our host venue; however, they are not a sponsor, organizer, or partner in the curation, administration, or logistics of the exhibition.

Registration
This event is free, however registration with Mia is required.

Registration Questions: visit@artsmia.org

Register Now

Funders and Supporters
