OUWB’s Diversity and Inclusion recently hosted Juneteenth Jeopardy – an event designed to be a fun and interactive way for people to learn about the newest federal holiday in the U.S.

Juneteenth is in reference to June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, stating that all enslaved people shall be freed. This was more than two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Held June 20, OUWB D&I Coordinator Angie Freeman led Juneteenth Jeopardy at OUWB’s O’Dowd Hall. It was part of the nation’s first Juneteenth celebration since President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.

Tiffany Williams, Ph.D., director, D&I, said such events represent “an opportunity to examine one of our nation's deepest and most destructive roots — racism.”

“To know and understand how this historical moment has helped to perpetuate barriers to equity; is equally important to understand why we should recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday each year,” she said.

As OUWB Diversity & Inclusion notes on its webpage, the school is “committed to building an environment where all students, faculty, staff, and invited visitors from varying backgrounds and life experiences, feel a sense of belonging, are engaged, and are valued and respected for their voices and contributions.”

Williams said that it is essential for the community at OUWB and those around it to think of “our history” and not just “Black history.”

“‘In order to understand our current conditions as a nation, we must gain a historical perspective of events that have shaped our nation,” said Williams.

D&I decided to go with Jeopardy because last year they hosted Jeopardy for Pride Month and it was very well-received. The event was designed to be educational, yet casual and energetic.

It consisted of teams of four competing against each other in a mix of Jeopardy- and Family Feud-style answering. The game featured five categories; dates and years, states, individuals and locations, government, and random facts.

Guests were treated to refreshments like a fruit and veggie tray, red velvet cupcakes and drinks like fruit punch. The color red is an important part of the celebration of Juneteenth, as many believe it symbolizes the blood shed of enslaved West African ancestors who died during the Atlantic slave trade according to Adrian Miller in a Business Insider article.

The people in attendance were able to collaborate with one another to try and solve the questions, with some of the questions stumping the participants. At the end of the day, the people were able to learn something through playing and will be able to remember the experience for a long time moving forward.

Brian December, faculty affairs coordinator, was one of the people who were in attendance for the event.

“I wanted to be there to learn more about Juneteenth, and the history of why it's an important event,” he said.

Williams said to expect similar events going forward.

“We hope to continue the celebration and recognition of Juneteenth by way of annual events like Jeopardy and other initiatives,” Williams said. “The goal is to have something in place that the OUWB community can look forward to each year.”

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