Columbia University President Bollinger made this announcement on June 17, 2020:
Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:
I write to announce that Juneteenth, June 19, 2020, will be a University holiday for all students, faculty, and staff. As I have said many times before, Columbia University is not innocent of the structures of racism that have afflicted America. Yet we also have a history of confronting invidious discrimination and anti-Black racism. There is still much more to do. A reinvigorated Civil Rights Movement is possible, and we need to summon our better traditions as we recognize Juneteenth and commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. I will have more to say in the coming weeks, months, and years.
Sincerely,
Lee C. Bollinger
