Events on campus and in the surronding community
Juneteenth Day of Freedom Summit
June 15 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm MDT —
The School of Medicine Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OHEDI), in collaboration with the University of Utah Health, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (UHEDI); Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI); the Black Cultural Center (BCC); and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are hosting a Juneteenth Summit and would like you to be a part of the celebration!
Register to join us for hybrid activities, including an in-person lunch, and conversations with experts and community leaders on celebrating Black excellence and racial bias in medicine, healthcare, and research.
Registration is also required for participants planning to attend in person.
Juneteenth Observance
June 20, 2022
The Utah Board of Higher Education recently approved adding Juneteenth to university calendars, following the creation of the state and federal holiday that sets aside June 19 as a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.
Because June 19 falls on a Sunday this year, the University of Utah will observe the paid holiday on Monday, June 20. Due to the timing of this new development Hospitals and Clinics business operations will continue as scheduled on June 20, 2022. Health Academics employees will observe the paid holiday in line with main campus (except those with clinical duties related to Hospitals and Clinics operations on the holiday, who may take the holiday through the end of CY 2022). Going forward, Juneteenth will be included as part of our regular holiday schedule. Learn more...
Learning, Preserving & Telling the Stories of Juneteenth
June 21 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am MDT – John R. Park Building Lobby
Join Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for a Juneteenth flag raising ceremony at the Park Building!
Refreshments will be served after the raising of the Juneteenth flag.
Program
- Welcome – Dr. José E. Rodríguez, Associate Vice President for Health Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
- Remarks – Dr. Karen Johnson, Associate Professor of Education and Ethnic Studies
- Keynote Speaker – Representative Sandra Hollins, District 23
- Juneteenth Flag Symbols & their Significance – Meligha Garfield, Director of the Black Cultural Center
- Ancestral Libation Toast – Robert Burch, Executive Director at Sema Hadithi African American Heritage, and Culture Foundation
- Spoken Word – Learning, Preserving & Telling the stories of Juneteenth
- Flag Raising – Representative Sandra Hollins, District 23
Suggested readings and resources
Juneteenth at the U
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Explore the ways the University of Utah is honoring the holiday and recognizing Black excellence, achievement, education and freedom here.
Juneteenth: A Reading List
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh | 15 Suggestions
Here is a small selection of titles to read when reflecting on Juneteenth.
10 Powerful Books for Adults, Teens, Kids to Celebrate and Understand Juneteenth
Boston University | 10 suggestions
From novellas to novels, picture books to deeply researched histories, each has a unique story to tell
Support for BIPOC UUH Employees
Resiliency Center | Pulse Page
UUH employees are striving through two pandemics: that of COVID-19 and that of widespread racism. The Resiliency Center recognizes that UUH employees who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) have been disproportionately impacted and often have less access to affirming supportive services. In order to increase access, we have started compiling resources that may be of benefit.
Groups on Campus for BIPOC employees:
- Women's Resource Center for community
- University Counseling Center for students
Accelerate Editorial Team
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Director of community engagement RyLee Curtis shares how we’re partnering with communities to build a new learning and health campus, and what we can apply now, even before construction starts
Learning how to navigate school, healthcare and more as they settle into Utah can be difficult for new Americans. Assistant Professor Milad Mozari from the division of Multi-Disciplinary Design (MDD) at the U’s College of Architecture and Planning, has been working to use virtual reality technology to support the resettlement process of Utah’s newcomers.
Well-being specialist Trinh Mai started BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of color) Check-in & Support via Zoom as a place to grieve and honor George Floyd and process ongoing racism. This is a space for employees at the U who self-identify as BIPOC to experience community, share struggles and solutions, and celebrate being who they are. Trinh and some members of the check in group share how the group started, how it has evolved and its lasting impacts.
