Juneteenth to be added as UC Holiday
Dear Bruin Community:
University of California President Michael Drake announced today that UC will observe Juneteenth — a day recognizing and celebrating the end of slavery in the United States — as a universitywide holiday. President Drake’s announcement appears in full below.
While Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19, this year UC will observe the holiday on Monday, June 28. Starting in 2022, the university will observe the holiday according to the federal calendar.
Juneteenth offers an important moment to acknowledge our nation’s troubled history and to honor the courage and achievement of African Americans in the face of longstanding adversity. We encourage every member of the UCLA community to use this day to consider what they can do to advance equity, inclusion and genuine belonging for all.
Sincerely,
Gene D. Block
Chancellor
Emily A. Carter
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
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Announcement from UC President Michael Drake
Dear colleagues:
Yesterday President Biden declared a federal holiday for Juneteenth, the day that celebrates and commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. This is an historic moment for our nation — 156 years in the making.
Celebrated on the 19th of June, Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Freedom Day, marks the day in 1865 that enslaved people in Texas learned they were free. This news was delivered two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation became law.
I intend to immediately add this to the University of California’s calendar of holidays. This year we will observe this holiday on Monday, June 28th. Starting in 2022, we will celebrate the Juneteenth holiday according to the federal calendar.
As we approach June 19th, I invite you to join me in reflecting on our nation’s history, the horrors of centuries of bondage, and the difficult road from liberation to equality. Let us resolve to build a future representing and lifted up by our ideals, our values, and our best selves.
Fiat Lux,
Michael V. Drake, M.D.
President