Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Observing Juneteenth as One Community

Monday, May 24, 2021, By News Staff
Share
Diversity and InclusionSyracuse University Libraries

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

Beginning on June 1, and each day leading up to June 19, Syracuse University will commemorate Juneteenth, a significant day in American history. On June 19, 1865, Black men, women and children in Texas were finally notified of their liberty nearly two and a half years after enslavement had officially ended.

Juneteenth became a day of commemoration to honor the strength, resilience and perseverance of African Americans. While Juneteenth has long been celebrated in the Black community, some Americans are not aware of its significance and meaning.

This year, we will mark Juneteenth with 19 days of reflection. Each day, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in partnership with Syracuse University Libraries, will share a unique learning opportunity. This 19-day observance will include a series of readings, lectures, videos and other content that will help our community learn about the Black experience leading up to and following Juneteenth. Every day, the content will be posted on diversity.syr.edu and on the office’s Instagram account, @Syracuseudiversity. We invite students, faculty and staff to engage in these 19 days of reflection.

Finally, please note, this year the University will officially observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 18. Administrative offices will be closed on that day in observance of Juneteenth. Our faculty and staff are urged to take the day to reflect on and participate in Juneteenth activities. Only employees who have been deemed essential to the continuation of University operations, such as critical student-facing roles, and those faculty teaching summer courses will report to campus. Due to previous changes in this year’s academic calendar because of the pandemic, classes scheduled for Friday, June 18, will go on as planned.

We encourage you to participate in the University’s Juneteenth observance. And, we hope you will continue to seek new knowledge, learn from those around you and effect meaningful change in your communities.

Sincerely,

Keith A. Alford
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

Andrew R. Gordon
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer

John Liu
Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Student Innovations Shine at 2025 Invent@SU Presentations
    Thursday, June 26, 2025, By Alex Dunbar
  • Iran Escalation: Experts Available This Week
    Tuesday, June 24, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • SCOTUS Win for Combat Veterans Backed by Syracuse Law Clinic
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Syracuse Views Summer 2025
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By News Staff
  • Tiffany Xu Named Harry der Boghosian Fellow for 2025-26
    Friday, June 20, 2025, By Julie Sharkey

More In Campus & Community

Retiring University Professor and Decorated Public Servant Sean O’Keefe G’78 Reflects on a Legacy of Service

For most of his time as a public servant, Sean O’Keefe G’78 adhered to a few guiding principles: Step up when someone calls upon you to serve. Be open to anything. Challenge yourself. Those values helped O’Keefe navigate a career…

Jorge Morales ’26 Named a 2025 Beinecke Scholar

Jorge Morales ’26, a double major in history and anthropology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with a minor in English and textual studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the highly competitive…

Registration Open for Esports Campus Takeover Hosted by University and Gen.G

Syracuse University and global esports and gaming organization Gen.G have opened general registration at campustakeover.gg for its first Campus Takeover Sept. 20-21. The two-day conference will bring students and administrators to Syracuse to highlight career opportunities within the esports industry…

2 Whitman Students Earn Prestigious AWESOME Scholarship

For the first time in the 12-year history of the program, both nominees from the Whitman School of Management have been selected as recipients of the 2025 AWESOME Excellence in Education Scholarship, a prestigious honor awarded to top-performing undergraduate women…

Whitman’s Johan Wiklund Named a Top Scholar Globally for Business Research Publications

The Whitman School of Management’s Distinguished Professor Johan Wiklund was recently listed as one of the most prolific business and economic research scholars globally, according to “What We Know About the Science of Science in Business and Economics? Insights From…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.