Cabrini’s campus was alive with music, dance, food, and rejoicing on Monday, June 19, during the University’s second annual Juneteenth celebration of freedom.
The rhythms of the Tyehimba African Drum and Dance Ensemble anchored the event’s opening procession, which included a traditional African libation ritual performed by Lailah Dunbar, Director, Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). The ritual honored ancestors who earned their freedoms, from pre-historic times to the present day. Antoinette M. Reaves, Cabrini’s Director of Campus Ministry, also welcomed guests with an opening prayer reflection.
“The theme of freedom brings us here today,” said Angela N. Campbell, PhD, Vice President, Mission, Ministry, and DEIB. “Freedom is something you have to take for yourself and many of our ancestors did just that. They weren’t waiting for someone else’s definition of freedom.”
View the full Juneteenth photo gallery
The Juneteenth celebration welcomed back to campus the founder of Cabrini’s Black Student Union, Patricia Reid-Merritt, DSW (ΚΌ73), who is also the author of Sister Power: How Phenomenal Black Women are Rising to the Top, and a Distinguished Professor at Stockton University in New Jersey. As a promising young woman who came up in West Philadelphia in the late 1960s, Reid-Merritt said she was told to get a job, rather than pursue higher education.
“I had no idea what college was about, but Cabrini offered me an opportunity,” she said. “That’s part of what we’re celebrating when we say we want to celebrate freedom. You have to provide people with the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential. And, that’s what happened in 1969 when 
I arrived on this campus.”
In between the day’s informational sessions, including those by storytellers Keepers of the Culture and residents of Wayne’s historically Black Mt. Pleasant community, traditional music filled the air. The Foundation Singers led attendees in spirited singalongs and Mestre Kamau and his troupe presented a capoeira performance on the Commons. Children jumped around a moon bounce while their families browsed wares from local vendors and enjoyed BBQ food at the family-friendly celebration.
“My sincere gratitude goes to the Juneteenth Planning Committee and volunteers, members of the Mt. Pleasant community, sponsors, caterers, and vendors, and all who made our Juneteenth celebration possible,” said Campbell.
Amid the jubilee, Reid-Merritt reminded the audience why they had gathered in the first place.
“Yes, we’re going to have music, we’re going to have dancers and drummers—we’re going to have storytellers, and BBQ, and all of that,” she said. “But, let’s remember why we’re here. Let’s not forget. Let’s make certain that we pass these memories on to our children. Let’s make certain that Juneteenth is a holiday when we discuss with everybody what freedom really still means in America.”
