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Since Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, many colleges and universities strive to commemorate the day in some way on their campus. Yet, as a newly recognized holiday, questions still linger — not only about how to celebrate the day but its significance in regard to higher education.
June 19, 1865 was the day that troops arrived in Galveston, TX, where slavery was still prevalent despite the 1863 signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth celebrates this end to slavery and symbolizes independence, but the effects are still felt today, even in higher education. A century and a half later, inequities still exist between Blacks and whites in the U.S. — and in the academy, from lack of representation among leadership positions to pay inequities and gaps in student retention and persistence.
As Juneteenth approaches, it can be tempting for universities to respond in some way, but as Antar A. Tichavakunda, an assistant professor of education at the University of California Santa Barbara, put it, memorializing Juneteenth is a complex issue.
“Much like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, you have a lot of Black folks who fought, organized, and advocated in order for this to be named a holiday — something that we celebrate and memorialize,” he said. “In both situations, I think we’re seeing that, despite the wants of different folks in the Black community to have these named days, these larger institutions, such as universities, aren’t necessarily engaging with them beyond the symbolic.”
As campuses mark the third year of this federal holiday, leaders must thoughtfully consider what this day should look like.
As noted in Tichavakunda’s article about Black History Month earlier this year, “Institutional leaders need to avoid giving ‘bad checks’ of support to their Black community members.” Emails and social media announcements without deliberate programming and investment in this community are inauthentic and will be seen as such.
Events and celebrations should give space to your Black community members, celebrate them, and support them. Talking to and surveying your stakeholders about what they need and want can be a great place to start.
Tichavakunda said he has seen a ‘taskforce model’ at some institutions where Black student leaders help to plan Juneteenth events. However, he cautioned that “it’s important, for institutions in particular, to be mindful of the labor and the burden that they’re placing on the stakeholders or community members that they’re trying to uplift and cater to.” It is a delicate balance.
“It is hard work to come up with something that is intentional and meaningful for a holiday or anything you’re trying to memorialize,” he emphasized, “but I think institutional leaders should try to do some of the work.”
Some ideas might include coordinating panel discussions with Black student leaders, inviting Black history scholars to speak on campus, and hosting gatherings for Black community members.
Programming and celebrating is just one element of Juneteenth’s place on campus, though. It is a time to reflect and acknowledge the disparities that exist on your campus (whether they are in regard to representation among faculty or leadership, student retention and persistence, treatment by campus police, etc.) and make progress toward narrowing these gaps.
“How dare we talk about Black liberation and we’re not disaggregating our data about graduation rates because Black students are graduating at far lower rates than other races,” Tichavakunda said, explaining that Juneteenth can be used as a moment of reflection and strategic planning to do better by this community.
Whether you have events on the calendar or not, take this moment to identify areas where your institution is doing well in serving your Black community members and areas where you need improvement. It won’t be easy, but without making real strides toward equity, any Juneteenth celebration will lack authenticity and fail to uplift the community as you hoped.
As Tichavakunda warns, “We have to be very careful not to have this liberatory posture of Juneteenth without any type of liberatory substance behind it, but it takes hard work to do that.”
