EUGENE, Ore. — June 19 will now be recognized as Juneteenth at Lane Community College. The LCC Board of Education unanimously adopted a motion and resolution recognizing the holiday at its June 16 meeting.
The resolution describes Juneteenth as, “an annual celebration of the past, present, and future of Black liberation and those who work towards that social & racial justice; a constant reminder to continue to work towards eliminating educational disparities; and an opportunity to recognize the impact, achievements, and contributions from Black staff, teachers, administrators, and students at LCC.“
The board’s motion also instructed President Margaret Hamilton to work with staff to officially recognize and implement Juneteenth as a college holiday.
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas (more than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln) and issued General Order Number 3 declaring that, in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation, all enslaved people were free with "absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former master and those enslaved." This momentous occasion has been celebrated as Juneteenth - a combination of June and 19.
Yesterday, President Joe Biden signed legislation designating Juneteenth as a federal holiday, and earlier this month, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed House Bill 2168, officially recognizing Juneteenth as a state holiday.
Lane Community College educates over 25,000 students annually at six locations across Lane County and online. Students and alumni from all 50 states and 79 countries create more than an $850 million dollar impact on the local economy, helping to support more than 13,000 local jobs. Lane provides affordable, quality, professional technical and college transfer programs; business development and employee training; academic, language and life skills development; and lifelong personal development and enrichment courses.