Juneteenth - If you don't know, now you know.
June 19, 2021
Dear Members of the Brandeis Community,
Since the beginning of June, you have received a daily note detailing the origins, history, and cultural significance of Juneteenth from Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mark Brimhall-Vargas. This project was the result of a collaborative undertaking by Mark and a committee of staff and faculty to envision how the Brandeis community might recognize and celebrate Juneteenth, and I am grateful for their good work.
I am now pleased to have the opportunity to mark the culmination of the countdown and honor the Juneteenth holiday on behalf of the university. In celebration of this special day, I invite you to view this virtual conversation between Annette Gordon-Reed, the Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University, and Abigail Cooper, assistant professor of history here at Brandeis, as they discuss Juneteenth and Professor Gordon-Reed's recent book on the topic. I hope you find it to be as illuminating as I did.
Best regards,
Ron Liebowitz