When
'Art of Food' dinner, June 26
The series will culminate with an "Art of Food" dinner event on June 26 from 4-6 p.m. at the Health Sciences Innovation Building Forum, 1670 E. Drachman, on the university's health sciences campus.
The dinner will feature food inspired by the Harlem Renaissance – which spanned the 1920s and 1930s – and a talk from Johnique Woods, associate director of event planning with Arizona Student Unions. Tickets, which are $25, are available online.
Event is sold out; but you can join the waitlist.
Speaker series kicked off June 5
The University of Arizona's 2025 Beyond Juneteenth speaker series begins June 5 with a talk by Lehman Benson, vice president for Black advancement and engagement. The lecture will explore how Juneteenth serves as a reflection on history and a call to action for the future.
Each talk takes place at 2 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center Pima room.
The presentations are free and open to the public.
Other speakers in the series include:
- June 12 | Community Council for Student Success
A representative of the Community Council for Student Success will discuss the organization's advocacy for students, faculty and staff.
- June 17 | Cheree Meeks, Assistant Dean for Leadership and Student Development, W.A. Franke Honors College
Meeks will explore the history and impact of the NAACP through a look at the organization's legacy of advocacy and leadership.
About Juneteenth
Juneteenth is celebrated each June 19 to commemorate the arrival of Union soldiers in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 – more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed – to announce that enslaved people in Texas were free. The university began observing Juneteenth as a paid holiday in 2023.