Juneteenth Statement from BLSA President Grace Obi-Azuike
"Today we celebrate Juneteenth, the annual celebration of the formal end of chattel slavery in the United States. It is a day to commemorate this country’s ratification of the 13th Amendment, which put an end to one of the most violently racist practices in its history. But it is also a day to reflect upon the legacy of slavery," writes Black Law Students Association (BLSA) President Grace Obi-Azuike '22 in her Juneteenth statement in advance of the university holiday to be observed tomorrow. Read More.
| |
Follow-On Statement from Associate Dean for Equity & Inclusion Kathleen Kim
Grace’s powerful statement commemorating Juneteenth is a call to action for our community at Loyola Law School. Two years ago, LMU and LLS made explicit our commitment to the values of antiracism, equity, and inclusion as integral to our mission to deliver educational excellence with a deep concern for social justice. Read More.
| |
Juneteenth History
by Mehrin Saleem, Student Services Diversity Assistant
On June 17, 2021, after nationwide protests led by Black Lives Matter (BLM) in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others, President Joe Biden signed a bill (S.475 of the 117th Congress), passed by both the House and the Senate, recognizing Juneteenth as a national holiday. The bill amended title 5 of the United States Code in specifically “designat[ing] Juneteenth National Independence Day as a legal public holiday.” Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, S.475, Pub. L. No. 117-17, Stat. 287, 135 (2021).
Originating from Galveston, Texas in 1865, Juneteenth has been observed on June 19th as a commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19th, 1865, two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston bearing the news that the war had ended and the enslaved were now free. There remains some uncertainty as to the reason for such a delay in relaying this news, with some explanations including that the news was in fact withheld to maintain the labor force on plantations or to reap the benefits of one more harvest prior to enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas.
Regardless of the speculation as to the true reason for the delay, Juneteenth symbolizes freedom for the enslaved and in turn celebrates the rich African American culture that has graced the nation.
| |
Reminder About Campus Operations During Holidays
Juneteenth Day is an official campus holiday celebrated this year on Friday, June 17. There will be no regular campus access, as there will be limited security staffing and no other services, including the LLS Shuttle. The William M. Rains Library is also closed. (For faculty and staff: Upcoming holidays are viewable by staff in Workday by selecting Time & Absence / Time Off & Leave Calendar.)
| |
William M. Rains Library Display Commemorates Juneteenth
Check out our library's display case on the second floor of Rains Library. Photos here.
| |
Library of Congress | Slave Narratives
Check out the Library of Congress's, Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writer's Project, 1936-1938 collection. This collection contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves.
| |
Additional Juneteenth Information
| |
Pride Month Historyby Mehrin Saleem, Student Services Diversity Assistant
Pride Month is celebrated annually in the month of June, in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, N.Y. LGBTQ+ protesters were met with police raids within the community, including at the Stonewall Inn. The Stonewall Inn was regularly raided, although it wasn’t the only gay bar susceptible to such police action. Months and months of raids culminated into action by community members and allies fighting back and protesting the police’s actions. The uprising increased the visibility of the gay rights movement and thus fundamentally changed the discourse surrounding LGBTQ+ activism.
Today, Pride Month is commemorated and celebrated with colorful pride parades, parties, workshops, and concerts, attracting millions of allies and community members globally with the purpose to recognize the history and the impact of the LGBTQ+ community.
Read LMU Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Emelyn de la Pena's reflection on #JointhePride.
| |
Marsha P. JohnsonMarsha P. Johnson, born Malcolm Michaels Jr., was an advocate for gay rights and was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall Uprising. She moved to New York City and became a self-made drag queen infamous for her unique costume creations. The “P” in her name stands for “Pay It No Mind.” This mantra lived with her throughout her community activism, most notably as an advocate for the homeless and struggling LGBTQ+ youth. “I was no one, nobody, from Nowheresville until I became a drag queen. That’s what made me in New York, that’s what made me in New Jersey, that’s what made me in the world.”
-- Marsha P. Johnson
| |
Additional Pride Month Information
| |
Informative Reads for Juneteenth and Pride Month
| |
Summer Diversity AssistantMehrin Saleem is a rising 2L and Entertainment Law Fellow at LLS. As the first in her family to attend law school, she aims to increase the visibility of South Asians and other minority groups, not only within the legal field but also through on-screen media.
Her interest in the creative and legal fields originated through her undergraduate studies at UC San Diego, where she earned a dual bachelor’s in Communication and International Business. She is passionate about leading conversations centering on diversity, equity and inclusion in all spaces, but especially within the legal field. Through her role as Diversity Assistant, she hopes to contribute to and expand the growing discourse regarding DEI.
In her free time, Mehrin enjoys creating art using watercolor and acrylic paint, and she incorporates her South Asian culture through her art-making process as a way to connect with her roots.
| |
|
Save the Date: Roadways to the Bench | April 3, 2023The Administrative Office of U.S. Courts will hold its second nationwide program on diversity in the federal judiciary, with a particular focus on promoting greater diversity among bankruptcy and magistrate judges. The first Roadways to the Bench event, held simultaneously in 19 cities and 16 states across the country, focused primarily (but not exclusively) on the bankruptcy bench. By all accounts, it was a resounding success: several lawyers who attended that event are now judges! For more information contact Beryl Dixon at beryl_dixon@cacb.uscourts.gov.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
