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Juneteenth is the oldest commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Although President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the news took two years to travel to the last enclave of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. While Juneteenth has been recognized for decades by black communities across the nation, it has gained…
Continue readingSeveral weeks ago, my family and I journeyed to France to follow the trails of the great French battlefields of World Wars I and II: Verdon, Dunkirk, The Normandy Beaches. It was cold; it was rainy, reminiscent of the conditions in which those battles were likely fought. Millions died on these fields, memorialized now in neat rows of white crosses…
Continue readingSeptember 11, 2023 marks the 22nd anniversary of a national tragedy, now grown dim with the distance of time and memory. Those of us old enough to have experienced the shock of the horrific events of that day 22 years ago still remember where we were and what we were doing as we heard the news on that September day. …
Continue readingCommencement is the high point of the year for any academic institution and a tradition CCBC is honored to uphold. More than that, Commencement is the return on a promise, a commitment to support and encourage our graduating students well beyond the moment. I speak for all CCBC faculty, administrators, advisors, tutors, counselors, payroll clerks and staff at every level…
Continue readingThis year Election Day and Veterans Day fall within days of each other, bookending the week with powerful imagery that each day offers independently but which links them inextricably together. On November 8, even in the midst of a divisive and toxic political environment, Election Day reassured us—everyday Americans that we are—that we have the power to define or redefine…
Continue readingSunday, September 11, 2022 marked the 21st anniversary of a day of acute national tragedy. Although the distance of time and memory has dimmed the shock of the horrific events of that day 21 years ago, the omnipresence of a slightly tamed, but still foreboding pandemic reminds us of the long reach these national disasters have upon us. Simultaneously, they…
Continue readingIn celebration of Juneteenth, I started with a poignant statement from President Biden: “Nations don’t ignore their most painful moments. They confront them to grow stronger.” In honoring the recently minted holiday of Juneteenth, that is the sentiment we carried forward during our recognition. We celebrated the end of slavery in the United States in 1865, more than two years…
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