The 2026 Honoring Juneteenth in Our Courts event was hosted for a fourth year by NCCU’s The Justice Institute, the North Carolina Association of Public Defenders, the George H. White Bar Association, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. ® Alpha Zeta Omega Chapter of Durham.
Performances were given by the 100 Men in Black award-winning choral group, the Empower Dance School of Movement, and the Triangle Performance Ensemble. The Triangle Performance Ensemble presented an original piece written for the occasion called “From Freedom to the Bar: The Trailblazing Legacy of Black Lawyers in NC.” It was a look back at the historic accomplishments of the most influential Black lawyers of our time who fought for civil rights. This was followed by a panel discussion that included some of the real-life stars of the play. The Honorable H.M. Mickey Michaux, the Honorable Floyd McKissick, Jr., Attorney Karen Bethea-Shields, Professor Irving Joyner and Attorney Ralph K. Frasier, Jr. engaged in a moving and educational discussion about their journeys. The panel was moderated by the Honorable Judge Dorothy Hairston Mitchell.