UC San Diego Honors Community, Legacy and Achievement at 6th Annual Juneteenth Celebration

In his keynote, Childs framed Juneteenth as a celebration of emancipation and a recognition of the long, unfinished struggle for Black freedom. He emphasized that the popular telling of history often centers official proclamations and political leaders while erasing the role of Black resistance, organizing and self-liberation.

“When we celebrate Juneteenth, what we are really celebrating is our own power, our own resistance and our ancestors’ struggle for liberation,” Childs said.

Childs reflected on his own journey of learning, sharing that reading Black writers and history helped him understand how much of what he had been taught in school was incomplete or distorted. He argued that Juneteenth should be understood not as a moment when freedom was simply “given,” but as a moment made possible by the actions, courage and the collective power of Black people themselves.

A major theme of the speech was that freedom was never immediate or universal. He noted that the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all enslaved people at once, and he pointed to the persistence of slavery, delayed emancipation and later systems of re-enslavement through incarceration and punishment. In that sense, he said, Juneteenth marks both a celebration and a reminder that the struggle for real freedom continued after 1865 and still continues today.

Immediately following his remarks, Childs received one of the Nguzo Saba Awards, inspired by the seven principles of Kwanzaa

The Nguzo Saba Honorees:

• Dr. Dennis Childs, Chair of Black Diaspora & African American Studies, received the Umoja (Unity) Award for strengthening community through his leadership, scholarship and service at UC San Diego.
• Lamar Perry, Assistant Professor of Directing, received the Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) Award for using storytelling and performance to uplift Black voices and model self-determination.
• Dr. Angela Booker, Provost of Eighth College and Professor of Communication, received the Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) Award for advancing collaborative scholarship, cultural connection and shared responsibility.
• Christiana Russell, a grant manager for the Office of Innovation and Commercialization’s Venture Catalyst Program, received the Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) Award for building pathways to economic opportunity and supporting historically disenfranchised communities.
• Assistant Chief Frank Johnson, UC San Diego Police Department, received the Nia (Purpose) Awardfor demonstrating purposeful leadership and steadfast public service to the campus community.
• Anthony Davis, Pulitzer Prize-winning Fine Arts Professor, received the Kuumba (Creativity) Award for enriching the community through visionary artistic excellence and creative leadership.
• Jasmine Henderson, Assistant Director of the Black Resource Center, received the Imani (Faith) Award for uplifting others through resilience, encouragement and belief in the strength of the community.

The event’s final major honor, the Hollis Gentry III Award, was presented to the Honorable Monica Montgomery-Steppe, the first Black woman elected to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, recognizing legacy, service and lasting community impact.

“Being honored as the first is nice, I am honored, but the bigger question is, how do I show up as the first? Do I show up just to get through the door, or do I show up for our people? That answer should always be showing up for our people and to make sure I’m not just the first but that the door opens for others to follow,” Montgomery-Steppe said.

More than a ceremony, the gathering served as a reflection of Juneteenth’s enduring significance as a celebration of freedom, a remembrance of struggle and a call to continue building community with purpose.

This year’s event affirmed the strength of Black excellence at UC San Diego and the collective progress that continues to move the campus forward