Celebrating Juneteenth

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

Today is Juneteenth, commemorating the day in 1865 when Union soldiers landed in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over and that all who’d been enslaved in Texas were free. Juneteenth is one of America’s oldest nationally celebrated commemorations of the end of slavery. In recognition, Nazareth is closed today. 

Taking a collective pause as a campus community provides a chance to solemnly contemplate the evils of slavery while at the same time appreciating — and celebrating – the joy and hope that the news of the end of that terrible practice brought to so many 158 years ago.   

We speak of changemakers often; today’s really about change, period. Juneteenth celebrates a moment in history and in the American spirit when we faced injustice and tried to make it right. While racism and the struggle for equality continues and remains challenging, that moment — when people who’d never known freedom learned that they were free — was a fundamental turning point in U.S. history and is a powerful example of action for collective humanity and justice. I’m glad that each of us at Nazareth has the opportunity today to celebrate Black freedom, appreciate Juneteenth’s historical and contemporary importance for our society, and reflect on the work we can and must do together for progress. 

However and wherever you may be celebrating, please enjoy the day.