Juneteenth National Independence Day
JUNE 17, 2021 -- This afternoon President Biden will sign into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. Juneteenth is a celebration recognizing the day in 1865 (two years after the Emancipation Proclamation) that enslaved persons in Texas were alerted to their status as freemen.
The news was delivered by General Gordon Granger:
The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.
This is a historic day for those whose liberty was denied for too long. While it may seem like a time lost in the past – the remnants of the Civil War are still with us today. Though few, there are still living children of those who were enslaved. The last person collecting a civil war pension – a disabled child of a Civil War veteran – died just last year. Of course, our nation still grapples with the longstanding impacts of Jim Crow laws and segregation that followed the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.
As noted in our vision statement, “Allan Hancock College is committed to equity and diversity by ensuring our actions are based on an awareness of the social and historical context of inclusionary practices.” Given that the new holiday is set to go into effect tomorrow, I am pleased to share that Board President Hall and Vice President Pensa enthusiastically supported declaring tomorrow a holiday for all on-contract employees.
Allan Hancock College will be closed tomorrow in honor of the Juneteenth holiday and I encourage you to spend some of the day in reflection that “acknowledges a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today.”
With best wishes,
Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D.
Superintendent/President
