Wave Staff Report
LOS ANGELES — Leaders from across Los Angeles and the California State University system gathered for the “Pathways to Progress: Legacy, Learning, and Leadership” Juneteenth Symposium at the Golden Eagle Ballroom June 11, which was followed by a campus celebration for students, faculty, staff, and campus partners at the University-Student Union Plaza.
The symposium was also livestreamed to all 22 Cal State campuses, with the Cal State L.A. watch party held at the University-Student Union Theatre.
“Juneteenth is an utterly and profoundly moving holiday,” said CSU Chancellor Mildred García. “Simultaneously, it’s celebratory and solemn because of its richness and complexity.
“We rejoice in celebrating all that the Black and African American community has achieved and overcome, even as we acknowledge and mourn with our clear eyes and broken hearts some of the nation’s most painful and shameful moments,” she added. “Juneteenth also compels us to authentically assess where we stand right now, and what challenges remain to be confronted.”
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It honors June 19, 1865, the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, following the end of the Civil War to inform the country’s last enslaved individuals that slavery was coming to an end. The troops’ arrival came nearly two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
In June 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law to establish June 19 as a federal holiday.
The third biennial CSU Juneteenth Symposium, sponsored by the CSU system, was attended by 200 invited guests from the civic, business, entertainment, education, and nonprofit sectors. Hosted this year at Cal State L.A., the symposium is a systemwide event that advances dialogue on race, equity, leadership and opportunity while honoring the history and significance of Juneteenth.
The speakers at the event were in a celebratory mood, but they also echoed Chancellor García’s sentiments that Juneteenth must serve as inspiration for everyone to remain vigilant during the contentious political climate around the country.
“As we commemorate Juneteenth,” Cal State L.A. President Berenecea Johnson Eanes said, “let us move beyond remembrance to responsibility, beyond celebration to action. Let us leave this symposium committed to creating pathways where none exist, opening doors wider for those who follow, and ensuring that other students, other families, every community has an opportunity to thrive.
“Because of this legacy we honor today, it is profound that we promise progress, and when we empower dreams, we truly transform lives,” she added.
Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans, provided historical background during his keynote speech — from Juneteenth to the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, from the Compromise of 1877 to the historic 1954 Supreme Court decision on Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down racial segregation in schools.
“In this moment of the assault on the progress made since 1954, my message is we must resist,” Morial said. “We must resist because this is not a political cause; this is a moral cause. “It’s a moral command of this generation if we are to be true to a vision of a multiracial American democracy in the 21st century, where everyone can sit side-by-side, where everyone can sit at the table, where everyone can be on a path to prosperity.
“This nation,” he added, “cannot survive unless we embrace a multicultural nation of the future.”
Radio personality, producer, and activist Dominique DiPrima served as the mistress of ceremonies.
The symposium included the “Pathways to Progress” panel discussion that examined leadership, opportunity, education and pathways to progress that honored the significance of Juneteenth.
The panelists included Tamala Barksdale, chief intelligence officer at madeXus Agency; Zoanne Clack, television writer and executive producer of Grey’s Anatomy; Arinze Jiroh, a psychology and Pan-African studies major at Cal State L.A.; and Shonda Goward, CSU interim associate vice chancellor for student success. Asia Shabazz, an open-format DJ, experience curator, host, producer, and philanthropist, served as the moderator.
Cal State Dominguez Hills hosted the inaugural CSU Juneteenth Symposium in 2022, and Sacramento State hosted the second in 2024. The Cal State L.A. event was the first in which the CSU encouraged its campuses throughout the state to hold watch parties for the livestream event, as well as host a separate celebration for their respective communities.
“This allows us to more appropriately honor Juneteenth with a strong system-level convening while ensuring the celebration permeates each of our 22 universities, from the north to the south to the Central Valley, all across California,” García said. “It’s a way of anchoring our broad values of who the CSU represents and the various communities we represent across this wonderful state of California.”
The Choir of First African Methodist Episcopal Church Pasadena opened the symposium with a performance of the Black National Anthem. African Soul International closed the proceedings with a drum performance.
The CSU, the nation’s largest four-year public university system, remains committed to advancing Black student success and fostering inclusive excellence.
More than 300 attendees participated in Cal State L.A. afternoon celebration at the University-Student Union Plaza.
The celebration featured line dancing, a cherished Juneteenth tradition that brings people together through music, movement and community. Divine Nine’s step exhibition showcased the artistry, unity, and cultural significance of stepping, while honoring the enduring legacy of Black excellence, resilience, and community pride.
The event included lunch and refreshments provided by Black-owned vendors, such as Dulan’s on Crenshaw, Cakes by Chanté, and Black Beverly Hills Lemonade.
Vice President Patrick Day delivered welcome remarks and introduced President Eanes, who launched a community conversation by asking, “What does the celebration of freedom, culture, and community mean to you?”
Participants continued the discussion while enjoying music from DJ Dee Lo and connecting with fellow members of the campus community.
“What Juneteenth means to me is pride, freedom, and community,” said J.T. Chestnut, outreach and retention specialist with the Guardian Scholars Program and Cal State L.A. alumnus. “It’s important to remember those who came before us, and I am grateful for them daily as I live my life as a Black, educated gay man.
“Even in the midst of the storms that we are currently going through in our society, Juneteenth reminds me of the beautiful Black liberation that our ancestors created, and it was great to recognize that during the CSU Juneteenth Symposium at Cal State L.A.,” he added.
