LANSING, Mich. — Juneteenth will be a day off for students and employees at Jackson College, the school said in a Thursday news release.
Friday marks 155 years since the slaves in Galveston, Texas, were told by Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger that slavery was abolished after the American victory in the Civil War.
The name Juneteenth comes from June 19.
“In recognition and commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States and in a sincere desire to encourage discussion and dialogue about our history, as well as to provide a time for reflection, understanding and appreciation of our differences, and as a recommitment to working together as one community of humankind, Jackson College declares Friday, June 19, an employee and student holiday,” Jackson College President Dan Phelan said in the release.
The release said the college normally holds a Juneteenth musical event with the community, but that was canceled this year due to COVID-19 concerns.
Jackson College's Student Government Association passed resolutions to get the college to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a holiday twice, in 2017 and again in 2019, Fox 47 reported Tuesday.
Both times, Phelan rejected the proposal.
Jackson College Chief Diversity Officer Lee Hampton said there are more opportunities to remember MLK with students on campus.
"Especially those in the educational realm have desire to have it as a day of education of race training, diversity training," Hampton said.
Jackson College only observes eight holidays during the year, including spring, Thanksgiving and winter breaks.
Jackson College Student Body President Jazmyn Ragland said most student support being able to honor Martin Luther King Jr. in their own way.
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