Juneteenth
A Message from President Harring to the Muhlenberg Community in Honor of JuneteenthWednesday, June 15, 2022 09:30 AM
Dear Muhlenberg Community,
This week we celebrate Juneteenth, a celebration and remembrance dating back to June 19, 1865. On that date 157 years ago, news of the Emancipation Proclamation—which had been issued two and a half years prior—finally reached Galveston, Texas, the site of the last enslaved people in the United States. On Juneteenth, we recognize and remember the effective end of Black enslavement in the United States.
Juneteenth commemorations began a year after the news first reached Galveston, but it was not until 2021 that Juneteenth became a federally recognized observance in our country.
While we now celebrate Juneteenth at the national level, and as we celebrate the often-overlooked contributions and accomplishments of Black populations throughout history and today, we must also acknowledge persistent, systemic gaps in justice and equity in our country and continued violence towards Black members of our communities. We mourn with our fellow citizens across the nation and in communities impacted by acts of hate, including the most recent racial violence in Buffalo, New York.
We encourage members of the Muhlenberg community to reflect on the meaning of Juneteenth and to observe the holiday in ways that are personal and communal.
To that end, we invite you to join us in celebrating this occasion, and we encourage those who are able to join in some of the events happening in the Lehigh Valley.
Juneteenth Lehigh Valley: A Celebration of Liberty
Saturday, June 18 from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 18015
City of Allentown Juneteenth Celebration
Friday, June 17 - Sunday, June 19
We want to thank the faculty, staff and students at Muhlenberg for your commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion—and remind all of us that our vision of a truly inclusive and welcoming Muhlenberg is the responsibility of each member of our community.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Harring
President
S. Brooke Vick
Associate Provost for Faculty and Diversity Initiatives
Emanuela Kucik
Director, Africana Studies Program
Assistant Professor, English Literatures and Writing and Africana Studies
Robin Riley-Casey
Associate Dean of Students and Diversity Initiatives
Director, Office of Multicultural Life
