Juneteenth Festival
Friday, June 19, 2026
All Day
Join us this Juneteenth for an all-day, family-friendly festival featuring creative storytelling, engaging conversation, and live musical performances.
Reflect on the nation’s founding ideals of liberty and justice, a promise long denied for enslaved people in early America. Explore how Juneteenth marked a critical turning point in expanding these essential freedoms. Consider how these rights are still complicated by institutions, including the criminal justice system, and how we can work together to imagine and build a more just future.
11:00 am ET — Immersive Family Storytime
Open to all. Designed with children ages 5–12 and their caregivers in mind.
Join storyteller Thembi Palmer (Imagine More Story Adventures) for a joy-filled, high-energy storytime experience. Explore Juneteenth’s roots in Galveston, Texas and honor the modern-day activism of Opal Lee who advocated to make Juneteenth a federal recognized holiday. Through music, movement, narrative, and poetry reflect on the legacy of the Emancipation Proclamation and celebrate unity, empowerment, and the enduring spirit of the African American experience.
11:45 am ET — Musical Performance
The Black Breath Collective performs part one of their original work “The Contagion of Freedom,” with choral arrangements inspired by emancipation and Juneteenth.
12:45 pm ET — Panel Discussion
Justice 101: The History and Meaning of Juneteenth Today
Join Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D. (Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University) and Kerry Sautner, Ed.D. (President and CEO, Eastern State) for a conversation about the evolution of American freedom and independence through the lens of Eastern State Penitentiary. From the revolutionary spirit of the Founding Era to the transformative promise of Juneteenth, we’ll discuss both history and the ongoing struggle for equity and justice today.
1:45 pm ET — Musical Performance
The Black Breath Collective performs part two of their original work “The Contagion of Freedom,” with choral arrangements inspired by emancipation and Juneteenth.
About the Panelists:
Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University
Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D. is associate professor of History at The Ohio State University where he teaches courses on the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement. Hasan was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated summa cum laude from Morehouse College with a B.A. in history in 1994. He earned a Ph.D. in American history with a specialization in African American history from Duke University in 2002. He taught for a year at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, before joining the faculty at The Ohio State University in 2003.
Hasan is the author of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt and the editor of the essay collection Understanding and Teaching the Civil Rights Movement. Hasan’s current book project, In the Shadow of Civil Rights, examines the black experience in New York City from 1977 to 1993.
From 2010 to 2014, Hasan was the lead historian and primary scriptwriter for the $27 million renovation of the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He hosts the podcast “Teaching Hard History: American Slavery,” a production of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance Project. And he regularly shares his knowledge of African American history and contemporary black politics with the public through lectures, teacher workshops, and radio and television interviews. Hasan resides in Columbus, Ohio with his wife Rashida and their three daughters. They travel frequently to the South to visit friends and return oftento Brooklyn to visit family.
Thembi Palmer
Storyteller, Imagine More Story Adventures
Thembi Palmer is a storyteller with a mission: to create spaces where people of all ages can connect, express themselves creatively, and build lasting relationships. With over 12 years of experience, Thembi crafts immersive, interactive programs for libraries, museums, schools, and community spaces, integrating storytelling with engaging experiences. Recognizing the growing disconnection in our fast-paced world, she addresses the need for authentic expression and meaningful interaction. Thembi's expertise lies in designing inclusive programs that empower individuals to share their unique stories, fostering creativity, strengthening community bonds, and creating a sense of belonging through the transformative power of storytelling.
Kerry Sautner, Ed.D.
President and CEO, Eastern State
Dr. Kerry Sautner, Ed.D., is the president and chief executive officer of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, a museum interpreting the legacy of American criminal justice reform from the site of the world’s first penitentiary. The facility pioneered the large-scale use of solitary confinement in the early 19th century and housed approximately 85,000 people during its 142 years of operation. Today, Eastern State Penitentiary attracts hundreds of thousands of guests from around the world each year to explore the site’s fascinating past and contemplate some of the most critical issues facing our nation. Its innovative public history program draws connections to contemporary justice reform through an approach that values multiple perspectives, amplifies marginalized voices, and respects a broad range of visitors’ interests and learning styles.
In her previous role as the Chief Learning Officer at the National Constitution Center, Dr. Sautner was promoted to drive national civic education efforts and oversaw all aspects of the Center’s visitor experience and educational programming. Before joining the staff at the National Constitution Center in 2005, she worked on program development at the Franklin Institute, and has served as an adjunct professor at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Sautner obtained her doctorate in education leadership and management from Drexel University with a focus on creativity and innovation within educational facilities. She earned her master’s degree in education from Drexel University, and a bachelor’s degree in biology and marine science from Rutgers University.
She is the president of the school board of the Lower Merion School District, a member of the Forum of Executive Women, and on the American Bar Association's Public Education Advisory Commission. Her academic writings have appeared in the Journal of Museum Education.
We strive to make the penitentiary and our site, programs, and exhibits accessible to all visitors. Click here to learn more about accessibility and accommodations at ESPHS.
This program is part of A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future, a yearlong slate of free, inclusive programs exploring the evolving meanings of liberty and justice in America. A Time for Liberty is made possible with support from civic and cultural partners including the City of Philadelphia, America250PA, Campus250, the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, the Philadelphia City Fund’s 2026 Milestone Grant Fund, supported by PECO, the National Trust Preservation Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program series, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
