UC to observe Juneteenth Monday, June 20
Read the joint statement from UC President Neville Pinto and Vice President Bleuzette Marshall
Dear UC Community,
This Sunday marks the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth, a date long celebrated to commemorate the delayed emancipation of enslaved Black people in the United States. In honor of this federal holiday that President Joe Biden signed into law last year, the University of Cincinnati will be closed on Monday, June 20.
Our hope is that we as a university community can use this time to pause and reflect on the horrific injustices of our nation’s past. May we also commit to fighting systemic racial inequalities that continue today and devote ourselves to inclusiveness, equity and justice.
Juneteenth history
While President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, his edict could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. When Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, the army announced that the more than quarter million enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree. This day came to be celebrated as Juneteenth.
Attend an event
We encourage you to consider attending one of the Juneteenth commemorative events occurring in Cincinnati in the coming days. Admission is free at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Sunday, June 19, as part of Fifth Third Community Days. Many additional special events are planned, including the 35th annual Juneteenth Festival in Eden Park on June 18.
As we observe Juneteenth this year, we trust it will serve as a poignant reminder of where we have been as a society and prompt us to do everything in our power to seek a future that is more equal and just for all.
Neville G. Pinto
President
Bleuzette Marshall
Vice President for Equity, Inclusion and Community Impact
Tags
- College-Conservatory of Music
- College of Pharmacy
- Equity and Inclusion
- College of Medicine
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Allied Health Sciences
- College of Education, Criminal Justice, & Human Services
- UC Online
- Faculty Staff
- Blue Ash College
- Clermont College
- College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning
- Graduate College
- College of Law
- President's Office
- Diversity
- College of Nursing
- Lindner College of Business
- College of Engineering and Applied Science
Related Stories
UC biologist talks about 'pearmageddon'
March 16, 2026
WLWT talks to UC biologist and Department Head Theresa Culley about invasive, nonnative Callery pear trees that are spreading across Ohio forests after they were introduced by landscapers more than 50 years ago.
Local media highlight completion of Blood Cancer Healing Center fourth and fifth floors
March 16, 2026
Local media including WLWT and the Cincinnati Business Courier highlighted the opening of research laboratories and the UC Osher Wellness Suite and Learning Kitchen at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center’s Blood Cancer Healing Center.
Trial results support weekly buprenorphine treatment of opioid use disorder during pregnancy
March 16, 2026
Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers led by the University of Cincinnati's John Winhusen published clinical trial results in JAMA Internal Medicine that found administering weekly injectable extended-release buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder during pregnancy led to higher rates of abstinence from illicit opioids than buprenorphine given daily under the tongue, one of the standard methods of treatment.