June 19, 2020
Dear L&S Community,
Today is Juneteenth, a day that commemorates a critical time in the history of the United States. On June 19, 1865, U.S. General Gordon Granger officially proclaimed the freedom of nearly 200,000 enslaved Texans. This was the final combat initiative to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, providing freedom to enslaved people in areas that had been under Confederate rule.
In the years after, Juneteenth celebrations became ways for Black communities to assert themselves as free and equal citizens, to honor military veterans, and to draw connections between their struggles and those of their ancestors.
Over the past week a number of public institutions, private companies, local and state governments have taken steps to recognize Juneteenth. Locally, the Juneteenth flag is flying over the Wisconsin State Capitol today. This is an opportunity to further reflect on and rededicate ourselves to our collective efforts to end racism in our communities.
I encourage you to read more about the history of Juneteenth from L&S History Professor Stephen Kantrowitz. You may also wish to take advantage of several local Juneteenth events, including two online community discussion sessions on Saturday with Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, representatives of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, UW Carbone Cancer Center, and other community leaders. To learn more: https://diversity.wisc.edu/2020/06/join-madisons-june-19th-virtual-2020-juneteenth-celebration/
In closing, I want to take this moment to reaffirm the commitment of L&S to an inclusive and welcoming environment for each and every one of our students, faculty and staff members. We have a lot of work to do, but I know that working together, we can create an optimal environment for teaching, learning, living and working on our campus.
Eric M. Wilcots
Dean and Mary C. Jacoby Professor of Astronomy
College of Letters & Science
University of Wisconsin-Madison