Juneteenth

Celebrate. Educate. Create.

About Juneteenth

Known as America’s Second Independence Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 and a Minnesota state holiday in 2023. Since 2022, the Minnesota Humanities Center has hosted an annual series of commemorative events to cultivate greater awareness and understanding of America’s history.

250 years ago, the founders of our nation declared that all men are born with the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. As we acknowledge the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, commemorating Juneteenth, celebrating the resiliency of African Americans, and examining whether the promise of America’s second Independence Day is being realized seems even more poignant.

We black folk, our history and our present being, are a mirror of all the manifold experiences of America. What we want, what we represent, what we endure is what America is. – Richard Wright

Questions?
Contact Casey DeMarais

Our 2026 Juneteenth Events

Juneteenth Brunch

Thursday, June 18 – Quincy Hall Minneapolis
MHC’s Kevin Lindsey will be joined by celebrated poet and author Clint Smith. Smith’s most recent non-fiction book for young readers, “How the Word is Passed, Remembering Slavery and How it Shaped America” offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in making sense of our country, how to reckon with the past and present, and how to become better stewards of the future.

The morning will begin with music from Walker West Academy and a delicious plated brunch service before the conversation begins.

This event is a ticketed event, registration information for individual tickets, full table, and half table reservations coming soon.

Photo of a large table with a variety of dishes displayed on serving plates and bowls.

Feeding Our Souls:
The Essence of Juneteenth Joy

Tuesday, June 23 – Saint Paul College
Upon hearing the news that the Civil War was over, the formerly enslaved individuals in Galveston, Texas celebrated with music, song, and food. To celebrate Jubilee, the enduring spirit of resilience and joy with the African American community, please join us for a truly unique program.

Local chefs will join Kevin Lindsey to discuss how the intersection of food and music has shaped their culinary journeys. Plus, a local artistic director of a renowned musical group shares the importance of music in history, community, and our lives.

After the program, guests will enjoy delicious tasting menus from the chefs we got to know on stage, who will share recipes and flavors from throughout the African diaspora.

This is a ticketed event, registration information coming soon.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story, 30^th Anniversary

Friday, June 26 – The O’Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University
This theatrical experience incorporates spoken word, art, music, and dance and was first performed 30 years ago. Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story 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.

Event is free, but registration is required. Information coming soon.

The Making of America, Film Premiere

Sunday, June 28 – Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Making of America, the fourth documentary film created through the creative partnership between OMG Studios and MHC, examines how Enlightenment–era art shaped and reflected the thought of the period in American history that produced enduring frameworks of slavery, caste, territorial extraction, and indigenous disposition in the land that would become known as the United States.

Event is free, but registration is required. Information coming soon.

Call for Artists to Participate in The Making of America Film Premiere

OMG Studios announces a call to artists for a juried art exhibition, Reconstruction 2.0: Allegories of a Better World, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, June 28, 2026. Artists are invited to submit original works which reflect the world they want to see.

This exhibition is happening in conjunction with the release of film, “The Making of America,” a humanities documentary from OMG Studios and Minnesota Humanities Center, that examines 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. 

Apply Now

Explore Resources

From Dr. Christopher P. Lehman, professor of Ethnic Studies at St. Cloud State University, Minnesota Book Award winner, MHC’s Ruth Reister Minnesota History Awardee, and featured thought leader in this years’ Juneteenth documentary film:

It Took Courage: Eliza Winston’s Quest for Freedom, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press (2024)
Slavery’s Reach: Southern Slaveholders in the North Star State, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press (2019)

African American stories – books, videos and websites – housed in MHC’s Absent Narratives Resource Collection, sortable by grade level and content discipline

Senses of Freedom: Exploring the Tastes, Sounds and Experiences of an African American Celebration from the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Black and Thriving from the NAACP

2026 Juneteenth Commemoration Sponsors

Corporate, community and philanthropic support help us bring programming to the people of Minnesota. Thank you to the following partners for their generous sponsorship of MHC’s 2026 Juneteenth commemoration.