Now a federal holiday for its third year, Juneteenth celebrates the June 19, 1865 arrival of Union troops in Galveston, Texas, who delivered the news that enslaved people in the state were finally free – two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This became known as Juneteenth, honoring both freedom and the ongoing quest for racial equality. Experts from Rice University in Houston area available to discuss Juneteenth-related topics with the media:
Alexander Byrd is Rice’s Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and associate professor of history. His research specializes in Afro-American studies, focusing on black life in the Atlantic world and the Jim Crow South. Along with Caleb McDaniel, he co-chairs Rice’s Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice.
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Caleb McDaniel, the Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Humanities and a professor of history, specializes in the 19th century, the Civil War era, and the struggle over slavery. He co-chairs Rice’s Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice with Alexander Byrd. McDaniel is available to discuss the history of American slavery, the Civil War, Emancipation and Reconstruction, as well as the history of Juneteenth and its earliest celebrations in Houston and Texas.
History professor Fay Yarbrough, who also serves as Associate Dean of Humanities for Faculty and Graduate Programs, teaches courses on 19th-century American history, including the American Civil War, Native history, African American history and women and gender. She can discuss the historical significance of Juneteenth in 1865.
As director of Rice’s Center for African and African American Studies and associate professor, Sherwin Bryant is an expert on the African Diaspora, focusing on the histories of slavery, race and colonial rule.
Rice historian Portia Hopkins holds a doctorate in American studies from the University of Maryland. Her expertise includes Juneteenth history and how its news spread through Brazoria, Harris and Fort Bend counties. She can also speak about the efforts to elevate Juneteenth to a national holiday.
To schedule an interview with any of the experts, contact Chris Stipes, executive director of news and media relations, or Brandi Smith, media relations specialist.