Pacific University Commemorates Juneteenth

Join Pacific University for a short ceremony at 1p.m. Thursday, June 15, in front of the flagpole on College Way and 21st Avenue to commemorate Juneteenth — the date that the last enslaved people in America learned of their freedom on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. 

There will be remarks from President Jenny Coyle and light refreshments provided by the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, followed by the raising of the Juneteenth flag.

The flag, which will fly at Pacific for a week, is a symbolic representation of the end of slavery in the United States, and features red, white and blue colors with a bursting star in the middle.

Pacific is closed on Monday, June 19, in observance of the holiday. 

While Juneteenth has long been celebrated by African American communities, it didn't become a federal holiday until 2021.

Pacific University first formally observed Juneteenth in 2020.

Please consider taking a few minutes out of your day to be present at the flagpole on June 15, and to support the university as it continues to acknowledge our past and strives to make Pacific a more inclusive place.