(WBBM NEWSRADIO) —Northwestern University has announced it will celebrate Juneteenth as a school holiday this year.
June 19 in 2022 falls on a Sunday, so faculty and students at Northwestern will get the following day off.
The university’s chief diversity officer says honoring Juneteenth means we should contemplate and learn about Black freedom in all of its manifestations. Sometimes called Emancipation Day, the holiday commemorates the day in 1865 when the last slaves in Texas learned they were free.
Juneteenth is a paid holiday for Chicago, state and federal workers after changes last year.
The last time Northwestern University added a holiday was nine years ago when the university began to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“As with any commemorative moment such as Juneteenth, it matters what we make of it,” Leslie Harris, professor of history and African American studies, said in a news release. “The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday has become a very powerful touchstone for people to reflect on the meaning of King’s life and legacy, as well as the civil rights movement more broadly. And thus, these holidays have the potential to expand the exploration of African American history beyond the month of February.”
Related
