College of Charleston to Host Annual Maroon Walk for Juneteenth

The College of Charleston will celebrate Juneteenth with its annual Maroon Walk on Thursday, June 20, 2024.

Named for the College’s former student-athletes who competed as the Maroons prior to the 1970-71 academic year, the walk showcases eight locations on campus that reflect the rich history of African-descended people in Charleston. The Maroon Walk also honors the African American settlements established by fugitive slaves, known as maroons.

The Maroon Walk is organized by the Whipper Grant Caucus for Black Faculty and Staff, an affinity group designed to support CofC’s Staff Advisory Committee to the President (SAC), in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Diversity.

“This year’s self-guided walk empowers individuals to select their own starting point, encouraging them to walk at their own pace and fostering a unique and personal learning journey enriching their experience through self-discovery and exploration,” says Courtney Howard, the College’s chief diversity officer and vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Two of the locations on the Maroon Walk tour were honored with new historic markers in April. The signs were unveiled during a presentation by the College of Charleston Committee on Commemoration and Landscapes.

RELATED: Read more about the new historic markers that were unveiled last April.

In honor of Juneteenth, participants of the Maroon Walk are encouraged to place mini flags as they visit each location. Flags can be picked up in the Office of Institutional Diversity (Robert Scott Smalls Building, suites 236–244) on June 18, 2024.

Maroon Walk locations:

• 57 Coming Street
• 63 ½ Coming Street /Solar Pavilion
• Black Burial Sites and Memorials on Rivers Green
• 14 Green Way
• Randolph Hall
• 105 Wentworth Street
• “Saint Septima” Mural in the Septima Clark Memorial Auditorium
• Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture

The walk will conclude with a luncheon at the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture (125 Bull Street) at 12 p.m. RSVPs are required by Friday, June 7, 2024.