June 16, 2023

Dear SCU Community:

As we wrap up this spring quarter and prepare to honor the Class of 2023 during the commencement festivities, we wanted to remind everyone of the upcoming Juneteenth holiday this Monday, June 19.

Juneteenth commemorates the historic date —June 19, 1865 —when the enslaved people in the southern holdout state of Texas were finally liberated, two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had declared them to be free. 

A federal holiday since 2021, Juneteenth is typically observed as a joyful celebration of the resilience and brilliance of people of African descent. Today at SCU, Juneteenth is an administrative holiday for all employees to honor this community, recognizing that full liberation and inclusion remain as yet-unfulfilled promises for our nation. Juneteenth reminds us, as a community committed to a Jesuit mission rooted in social justice and respect for all persons, that our work must always strive to eradicate systemic racial inequalities and heal historical traumas.

We encourage you to observe Juneteenth by participating in events in the surrounding area and enjoying a festivity with your own communities. Santa Clara University has continued to sponsor the African American Community Services Agency's Juneteenth events in San Jose and the events are open to all who would like to attend on Saturday, June 17, throughout the afternoon. In addition, the City of Santa Clara is hosting a Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 17.

Juneteenth is relevant to all of us, all of our identities, when we consider our connections as a community and what it means to be welcomed, valued and free to determine our lives for ourselves. The late Maya Angelou once said, “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.” We need to remain vigilant in the face of the ongoing challenges that different communities are experiencing.

Let us take this Juneteenth as an opportunity to reflect and recommit to ensure a welcoming and inclusive community, whether here at SCU or in your respective communities.

In solidarity,

Julie Sullivan, President

Shá Duncan Smith, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence

Alison Benders, Vice President for Mission and Ministry