Dear students, faculty and staff,
On the eve of this year’s Juneteenth, we reflect on the significance of June 19, 1865—a day now commemorated as a federal holiday to mark the end of slavery in the United States. As leaders of the University of Utah, we echo the call to use this new national holiday as a day of reflection and action.
While we recognize this important national legislation as a critical step in our country’s work to come to terms with our history of racism, we acknowledge there is still significant work to be done. Our efforts to dismantle systemic racism require ongoing attention and a firm commitment to fostering this work on our campus.
Toward that end, the university fully endorses the Utah System of Higher Education’s Juneteenth resolution that calls for higher education to continue in its commitments and actions to advance equity, justice and accountability. You can read the full USHE resolution here.
As you reflect on Juneteenth, we ask you to take the time to learn about the ongoing work of our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team, as well as what Juneteenth means to members of our campus community. Both of those resources are available here:
We look forward to celebrating and commemorating this important day in the years ahead with programming and events that mark the significance of this event. We encourage everyone at all levels of the university to do the same.
Sincerely,
Michael Good | Interim President
Dan Reed | Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Mary Ann Villarreal | Vice President for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
Lori McDonald | Vice President for Student Affairs
Jeff Herring | Chief Human Resources Officer