June 15, 2011 — The 11th annual community Juneteenth celebration, hosted by Piedmont Virginia Community College, will be held June 16 through 18. One of several events will be a free public talk by University of Virginia associate professor and research archivist Ervin L. Jordan Jr., who will give a presentation Friday at 6 p.m. at PVCC on "150 Years of Freedom: African-Americans in Civil War Virginia." A public reception will follow.

Dating back to 1865, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. In recent years, the event has enjoyed a growing interest from communities and organizations across the nation. Virginia is one of 26 states officially observing Juneteenth.

For details, see the PVCC website.