Juneteenth (June 19) Declared a Federal Holiday

BCCC Faculty & Staff:

(June 17, 2021) Today, President Biden signed the Juneteenth legislation formally designating June 19^th a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.  Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 that federal troops in Galveston, Texas informed enslaved people they were legally free, over two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. 

Baltimore City Community College is pleased to honor Juneteenth (June 19^th)  and its historical significance; the College will recognize this as an institutional holiday on August 13, 2021.  In subsequent years, we will recognize Juneteenth on the federally recognized holiday date in June.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously declared, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

With a keen awareness of the inequities still faced by Black and Brown Americans in 2021, including disparities in education, wealth, health care, housing, food security, Juneteenth serves as a reminder to continue to work toward equality and freedom for all Americans.  Speaking today, President Biden urged the nation “to heal, and to emerge from those painful moments to make a better version of America.”

I encourage you to reflect on the significance of Juneteenth as we join the nation in remembering and learning from our history. 

We are BCCC!