June 18, 2020
A Message from President Sister Christine De Vinne, OSU, PhD
Dear students, faculty, and staff,
In 2020, we stand at a pivotal moment in US history, when we are forced, again, to confront the injustices of racism and the legacy of slavery.
In 1863, our country stood at another pivotal moment, when on 1 January President Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation. By it he declared that “all persons held as slaves” in the Confederate States “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” On 19 June 1865, two and a half years later, this proclamation reached Texas, the farthest outpost of communication, and finally ended bondage for all formerly enslaved in the Confederacy.
Ursuline College will mark Juneteenth 2020 with a campus holiday. This is one way we can recognize the necessity of true freedom for all in a country where slavery has ended but injustice has not.
A few practical points can help clarify. Campus offices and library would not be open in any case, because we are on WFH for now and because on summer Fridays we close at 12:30p, but please take the morning off to reflect on the significance of this day in our history and the injustices we can correct in our future. Note: NR 325 will still meet for its lab as scheduled tomorrow; work for any other classes in session virtually remains as determined by the faculty. Admissions events and phone appointments will also take place as scheduled.
As we redouble our efforts towards justice and equality, you are reminded of the invitation from the Office of Diversity for the first of its new dialogue series, UC Voices. The program begins Tuesday, 30 June 2020 at 6p, with a discussion of policing and institutional racism.
In the meantime, for tomorrow you might want to take a moment for reflection on the words of President Lincoln, in his proclamation now preserved in the National Archives and available in this transcript.
Standing together for justice,
Sr Christine De Vinne