Clark State College will host community activities in celebration of Juneteenth.

Considered the longest-running African American holiday, Juneteenth honors the end of slavery in the United States. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring enslaved people in the states currently engaged in rebellion against the Union, free. It wasn't until nearly two and half years when federal troops arrived to Galveston, Texas to share the news. As a result, June 19, 1865, marks the day in which the end of slavery took its effect, per the Emancipation Proclamation.

Clark State will host a Daily Juneteenth Quiz Contest in collaboration with the Clark State library. All Clark State alumni, students, faculty, and staff can participate for a chance to win a prize. The winner will be announced at the Clark State College 60 Year Celebration, happening June 30th from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

On Monday, June 13, at 1 p.m., Clark State will host guest speaker Dale Henry, president of the Gammon House to share information about the historic Gammon House, a Springfield landmark, which served as a station on the underground railroad. This event is free to the community and will take place via Zoom. Registration is open at: https://clarkstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlcuCvrzooHNyzM858N7sZu51ftnse_O2y

Clark State will also host a Bid Whist Tournament beginning at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, June 18 at the Gammon House, 620 Piqua Place, Springfield. The tournament is part of the annual Juneteenth Fatherfest Celebration.

Bid Whist is a partnership trick-taking variant of the classic card game: Whist. Bid Whist adds a bidding element to the game not present in classic whist.

Clark State student support specialist, John Minter, said teams are limited to eight for this year and will determine if that number needs to be increased going forward.

“We are, however, making space available for individuals who may like to play in a less formal manner and/or those that want to play longer than the scheduled time of the tournament,” he said.

Minter said the Clark State bid whist event was popular for years in the community but unfortunately was canceled the last couple of years due to COVID.

“We are excited to be invited to bring the event to the Gammon House and be a part of the Juneteenth festivities,” said Minter. “I am hoping this is the ‘1^st Annual Clark State Juneteenth Bid Whist Tournament.’

Gift cards and other prizes will be awarded to participants in conjunction with the Gammon House.

The Bid Whist tournament format is a single elimination team contest, each game will be determined by the traditional 7 in/7 out scoring method with a maximum of five (5) hands played to determine a winner. If the score is tied at the end of five hands, a one- hand tie breaker will determine the winner, first diamond deals. The preliminary round will be a ‘best 2 out of 3’ format, all subsequent rounds will be ‘one game/winner advances.’

Teams can register for the free tournament at: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=C2Cow3H88UedEr_ddKs8FSSEuCfy9V1FnIHBjBZkkmtUQkxXTEY2R0pKT0I1MVBENDdFRDlNVkUwVC4u

Additional Juneteenth Fatherfest activities at the Gammon House include:

Juneteenth was declared a Federal holiday in 2021; In honor of this, Clark State will be closed  Monday, June 20, 2022.

“Juneteenth isn't just Black History,” said Breion Hawkins, diversity coordinator at Clark State. “It is also a part of American history, and the more we engage in conversations about Juneteenth, the better we can understand its impact on our history and learn to celebrate it as a federal holiday,”