University News
WIU President Guiyou Huang: Juneteenth Celebration & Observance
June 19, 2023
Dear University Community,
On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln declared all those who were enslaved free, Major General Gordon Granger and the Union Army troops traveled to Galveston, TX, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. Western Illinois University will join our nation in commemorating Juneteenth.
We not only celebrate and acknowledge Juneteenth as a University, we continue to work toward justice, inclusion, and equity for all. In March, we held the grand opening of our newly established JIDE (justice, inclusion, diversity, and equity) office. And, the Anti-racism Task Force has been active for a year, working to identify anti-racism initiatives, with the goal to eradicate racism at WIU, and building and establishing a diversity plan for the University.
This is the second year that marks Juneteenth as a federal holiday. As such, Western Illinois University will be closed on Monday, June 19 to commemorate Juneteenth. Operations will resume on Tuesday, June 20.
Best wishes,
Guiyou Huang, Ph.D.
President
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing
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