Message to the Campus

June 19th

From: President Claudia Schrader
Monday, June 19, 2023

Dear College Community,

 

Today we pause to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Juneteenth also known as Freedom Day was the day that Blacks in Galveston, Texas received notice of the proclamation by President Lincoln that had been shared two years prior.   

 

It's been two years since the Juneteenth was declared a national holiday, and since then there has been more awareness, celebrations and programs across the country and in the city.

 

However, we chose to mark this important occasion, it is equally important to continue: to do our part to address the inequities and inequalities African Americans continue to experience; to our part to dismantle the structural racism that continues to not only persist, but gain strength in many parts of the country; and most importantly, do our part to leave this world, our communities and the relationships that exist within these spaces better than we found them. 

 

In the final analysis, it's not just about this one day-- June 19; it is about all the days, hours and minutes we each have to make an authentic and positive difference.

  

-President Schrader