President Pitchford's Campus Message For Juneteenth

Dominican University of California was closed on June 19 to again observe Juneteenth, the commemoration of the emancipation of Black Americans from slavery. As of 2020, Juneteenth is a University holiday. The Dominican community was encouraged to spend the day celebrating freedom and taking action to advance justice against racism and racial inequity.

Dominican President Nicola Pitchford on Friday issued this message to campus:

Dear friends,

Monday is Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of Black Americans from slavery. On June 19, 1865, a Union general arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved Black Americans that the Civil War was over and they were free. It had been more than two years since President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

In the spirit of connecting us—colleagues and fellow educators—with resources to expand our learning and that of our students, I encourage you to explore the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Juneteenth Digital Toolkit, a curated collection of short films, reading lists, children’s literature, recipes, and more to support continuing education around the history and enduring celebration behind this holiday. 

Black joy is at the heart of Juneteenth. If you’re local this weekend, there are dozens of joyful Juneteenth festivals, concerts, and parades nearby. Bay Area Registry has some great options to browse.

Last night, I had the honor of attending a special reception and exhibition opening celebrating Marin City’s history, produced by the Marin City Historical and Preservation Society with support and research from Dominican student interns and faculty. As part of an ongoing project to preserve and celebrate Marin City’s and the former Marinship shipyard’s significant place in Black American history, its photographs, objects, and environments showcase both Black labor and Black culture and community: music, clothing, everyday celebrations. Its organizer, Felicia Gaston, was careful to note that both the deep inequities and the joys of community and culture are still living realities in contemporary Marin.

Here on campus, let’s continue to seek out healing and restoration wherever we can. The Diversity Action Group’s comprehensive, data-driven Strategic Diversity Plan continues to serve as our map for breaking cycles of prejudice in our culture and campus policies. 

I’ll send you off to a beautiful weekend—and happy Father’s Day—with an excerpt from a poem recently shared with me by both Jaime Libby and Stacy Poe: the gifted South African queer poet Koleka Putuma’s “Black Joy,” from her debut collection Collective Amnesia (2017).

Bread slices were buttered with iRama
and rolled into sausage shapes;
we had it with black rooibos, we did not ask for cheese.
We were filled.

My cousins and I would gather around one large bowl of umngqusho,
each with their own spoon.
Sugar water completed the meal.

We were home and whole.

But
isn’t it funny? That when they ask about black childhood,
all they are interested in is our pain,
as if the joy-parts were accidental.

Warmly,
 
Nicola Pitchford
President