Commemorating and Celebrating Juneteenth

Monday, June 19 is Juneteenth, a day to celebrate freedom in all its forms. Recognized and celebrated by African Americans for generations, in 2020 New York made it a state holiday and President Biden signed a bill making it a Federal holiday in 2021.

According to a Smithsonian article titled The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth, “Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as ‘Juneteenth,’ by the newly freed people in Texas. (Read the full Smithsonian piece here.)

This Monday, as we remember what took place in Galveston nearly 160 years ago, take a moment to reflect on our actions and decisions as we, individually and as a Jesuit institution, recommit ourselves to equity, the elimination of racism and injustice, and creating a world that treats all individuals with dignity and respect.

Sincerely,
Barb Karper
Associate Provost for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging