College Closed June 19 – Juneteenth

All Cincinnati State in-person and virtual campus operations are closed on Wednesday, June 19, in recognition of the Juneteenth holiday.

Classes and services resume Thursday, June 20.

• Juneteenth commemorates the date June 19, 1865– about two months after the U.S. Civil War ended– when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were informed that President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation about two and a half years earlier, freeing all slaves in the U.S.
• The National Museum of African American History and Culture, a part of the Smithsonian Institution, describes the holiday saying: “Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day. Although it has long been celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans. The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times.”
• Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.
• To learn more about the history and legacy of Juneteenth, visit: https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth