The fifth annual Gospel Fest will return in-person today at 11 a.m. at the UNMC Ice Rink as a part of the med center's Juneteenth Jubilee.
The 90-minute event will feature singing, dancing and spoken-word performances.
In addition to Gospel Fest, there will be an expo with informational booths featuring community partners, including the Empowerment Network, and campus programs, groups and departments, along with demonstrations from local community organizations such as Omaha’s A Step Above. That will begin at 12:30 p.m. and run until 2 p.m.
Local food trucks Boiling Claws and New Orleans Sneaux will be on site.
Juneteenth celebrates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that all enslaved people in the United States were free. It was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, and it is now a floating holiday at the University of Nebraska.
UNMC Human Resources will team with other campus entities, including the UNMC College of Nursing, the College of Medicine DEI Office, the Office of Inclusion and African American/Black Alliance, among others, for the event.