Juneteenth event reflects on 'Strength through Collaboration'

With the theme, “Strength through Collaboration,” Pennsylvania College of Technology hosted its second annual Juneteenth “Lunch & Learn” on Wednesday to honor the federal holiday. The sizable audience in Penn’s Inn included college employees, students and community members. The event highlighted the need for collaboration to achieve change, progress, equity, justice and quality education.

Guiding the gathering was Nate Woods Jr., special assistant to the president for inclusion transformation. Penn College President Michael J. Reed offered remarks, and Tamaka F. Carter, financial aid support specialist and business administration student, shared a soulful rendition of “A Change is Gonna Come.”

Guests viewed a short documentary on the relationship between President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, a collaboration that led to a pivotal moment in history. Afterwards, Woods facilitated group discussions surrounding the theme.

Event presentations aimed to powerfully reflect on workforce diversity, creating a sense of belonging, and access to training, education and employment. Kielie Hillegass, UMPC human resources retention generalist, and Ethan Lindermuth, UPMC onsite health educator, focused on how the healthcare system is addressing disparities, particularly affecting people of color. (A1C testing was offered on site to all participants.) Beth M. Bittenbender, executive director of operations/special projects for Workforce Development at Penn College, and Alison A. Diehl, executive director of the college’s Clean Energy Center, discussed breaking down barriers to quality employment and addressed alternative routes to careers through pre-apprenticeships and the “Building Green Futures” program.

Uptop Cuisine served a delicious meal featuring fried chicken and waffles, collard greens, and peach cobbler.

Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, commemorates the date (June 19, 1865) when enslaved people in Texas learned that they had been freed (more than two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation). One year later, a celebration known as "Jubilee Day" began in Texas to observe the anniversary. The term "Juneteenth" emerged in the late 1890s.