2025 Juneteenth Keynote Lecture: “Echoes of Freedom & Jubilation”

All members of the university community are welcome to attend this keynote lecture as we gather in celebration and remembrance of Juneteenth, followed by a reception co-hosted by Sankofa

Featuring

Dr. Clarence Lang
Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts and Professor of African American Studies at Penn State University

Clarence Lang is the Susan Welch Dean of the College of the Liberal Arts and professor of African American studies at Penn State. A specialist in African American urban history and social movements, he has spearheaded initiatives that expand student access and career readiness while advancing the recruitment, retention and professional development of diverse faculty and staff. Before joining Penn State in 2019, Lang held posts at the University of Kansas, including Dean’s Professor, chair of African and African American Studies and interim director of the Hall Center for the Humanities. An Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer, he is the author of “Grassroots at the Gateway: Class Politics and Black Freedom Struggle in St. Louis, 1936–75” and “Black America in the Shadow of the Sixties,” and co‑editor of three volumes on anticommunism, A. Philip Randolph and Black urban history.

About Sankofa

The mission of Sankofa — Black Staff and Faculty Alliance is to help promote a welcoming and supportive environment throughout Carnegie Mellon University. The group will be a resource that encourages community engagement, cultural awareness education, and support for members through workshops, discussion groups and social events. For more information, visit our website.

Questions? Contact vp-cce@andrew.cmu.edu.