The University of Olivet students, faculty, staff and alumni are invited to celebrate Juneteenth on June 22 with a picnic lunch, prayers and remarks and a visit to the Olivet City Cemetery to pay respect to two freed slaves who made Olivet their home.
Celebration Details
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
The University of Olivet, 320 S. Main Street, Olivet, Michigan
Celebration Activities
- Ringing of the Bell in the The University of Olivet Square
- Prayer
- Michael Fales, ’75, M.Div./M.Min., Director of Service Learning and Campus Ministries and Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and Religion
- Remarks
- Steven M. Corey, Ph.D., President
- Linda Logan, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Inclusion Officer
- Faith Sams ’22, The University of Olivet/Lansing Juneteenth Essay Scholarship Recipient
- Picnic in the Square featuring traditional foods likely served at the time of Juneteenth in 1865
- March Around the Square and to the Olivet City Cemetery
- Prayer at the Gravesites of Two Freed Slaves
- Ringing of the Carillon
“In 1844, The University of Olivet was the first college in Michigan to admit persons of color and women on a co-equal basis with white men. The College was committed to not only abolition of slavery but was a forerunner in its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for all, 21 years before the full implementation of emancipation in Galveston, Texas in 1865,” said President Steven M. Corey, Ph.D. “As part of The University of Olivet’s ongoing commitment to advance and promote DEI, we enthusiastically embrace and recognize Juneteenth as a significant event in American history worthy of recognition and celebration.”
Effective this year, The University of Olivet has designated Juneteenth as a recognized federal holiday for all employees.