In this first-person narrative, Jody Lykes, Ph.D., director of Admissions and Marketing for The Honors College at the University of Nevada, Reno, reflects on Nevada’s history and the upcoming celebration of Juneteenth in Reno.

As we prepare to celebrate Juneteenth 2026 in Reno, Nevada, we look back at a chapter of Nevada history that continues to shape our understanding of freedom and civic participation. In the years following statehood, Nevada Senator William Morris Stewart played a key role in advancing the 15th Amendment. Nevada became the first state to ratify the amendment, and Stewart later introduced it in the U.S. Senate. Together, these efforts helped earn Nevada the title "First in the Black Vote."

While the country remained divided over how to move forward following the Civil War, some embraced change more rapidly than others.

Juneteenth is often remembered as the day news of emancipation reached Texas, when Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston on June 19, 1865. However, scholar Peniel Joseph argues that the story we have been told about Juneteenth is far more complex. Freedom was not experienced equally or immediately, and the work of liberation continued long after Granger's arrival. Nevada's own Jack Johnson, whom many associate with Reno following his 1910 world heavyweight championship victory, was born in Galveston just 13 years after Granger’s arrival.

This June, the Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society (NNBCAS) will celebrate its 38th annual Juneteenth Celebration. While some years have drawn larger crowds than others, the event has consistently highlighted the thriving presence of Black Reno. For many years, we celebrated "Church in the Park" for up to three days, with congregations from across Reno moving their services downtown to celebrate freedom together. In 2020, after a summer of protests and uprisings across the country sparked by the murder of George Floyd, Reno's Juneteenth celebrations saw a resurgence as communities across the nation reflected on issues of racial justice and Black history. The momentum surrounding those conversations continued with Juneteenth's designation as a federal holiday in 2021. 

It is clear that the work of Black liberation continues; some would say that the battleground for education remains a final frontier. Today, academic freedom is both hypervisible and invisible, much like Nevada's Black population. Our diasporic imprint is everlasting. Efforts to preserve the historic Bethel AME Church on Bell Street and the Lear Theater, designed by Paul Revere Williams, are evidence of our determination not to be erased. We are still uncovering new insights every day. The Nevada Museum of Art recently featured an exhibit highlighting Langston Hughes' time in Reno. This past year, we lost Kenny Dalton, a great champion of preserving Black history in Northern Nevada. Past, present and future, Nevada has been and will remain Black excellence.

Learn more 

• Juneteenth Celebration 2026 in Reno by Fox Reno 
• The Story We’ve Been Told About Juneteenth is Wrong by Texas Monthly 
• A Discussion on the BLM March in Reno with Jody, Monique & Nathaniel by KWNK Reno Radio 
• Our Story, Inc. – Sharing Stories of the Unsung in Northern Nevada 

About the author

Jody Lykes, Ph.D., is director of Admissions and Marketing for The Honors College at the University of Nevada, Reno. A Hip Hop scholar, Lykes was raised between Sunnyside, Washington, and Santa Maria, California. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Brigham Young University, a master's degree in educational leadership from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a doctorate in education, diversity and equity from the University. He teaches several diversity courses on campus and enjoys spending time with his family and learning about Nevada Black history.  
 
Learn more about Lykes in this Nevada Today article: Faces of the Pack: Jody Lyke’s energy radiates from The Honors College.