Thanks. > From: Noelle <noelle> > Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2022 09:09:05 -0700 (PDT) > > explanation of Juneteenth, thanks to UMass > > > To: "'http://dummy.us.eu.org/noelleg'" <http://dummy.us.eu.org/noelleg> > > Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2022 15:22:44 +0000 > > > > To: Health Caregivers > > > > From: Eric Dickson, MD, President and CEO, Health > > Brian Gibbs, PhD, Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Officer, > > Health > > > > Date: June 16, 2022 > > > > Re: Recognizing Juneteenth > > > > This Sunday, June 19 is Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation > > Day, Freedom Day and Black Independence Day. This federal holiday > > commemorates the emancipation of the last enslaved Black people in the > > United States. While the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President > > Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, the news of freedom didn't reach > > thousands of people who were still enslaved in Texas until two and a half > > years later on June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger read the > > Emancipation Proclamation at a public gathering in Galveston. It has been a > > day of celebration in Black communities ever since. > > > > Juneteenth is a time to celebrate the beauty and richness of Black American > > culture, but it's also an opportunity to reflect on this country's painful > > history of slavery and the systemic impact that racial injustice continues > > to have today. By acknowledging how deep the roots of racism run, we create > > an opening for a collective conversation about how to move forward as a more > > just and equitable society. > > > > At , that conversation must involve working toward solutions > > that eliminate the health and health care disparities that impact our > > patients and the communities we serve. Confronting racism, micro-aggressions > > and unconscious biases while elevating hope and opportunities for healing is > > a delicate balance. We must lean on each other to foster healing and a > > belief that better is possible. We must learn to trust each other to make > > culture change a reality. > > > > Many of our caregivers have asked if we will be making Juneteenth one of our > > official paid time off holidays at Health. Since Juneteenth > > is a federal holiday, we are exploring all options to celebrate this > > important holiday in the future. > > > > While Juneteenth this year falls on a weekend, we hope we all can take today > > as an opportunity to reaffirm Health's commitment to reaching > > our goal to be better at giving equitable care to all patients and being a > > more welcoming, inclusive place for our patients, their families and our > > caregivers. While we still have work to do, we believe that we have the > > desire to make a difference and the fortitude to have the difficult > > conversations needed to allow us to see that commitment through. > > > > We encourage you to take this moment to think about Juneteenth, what it > > means to you and what you can do to learn more about it, whether that be > > researching some history, attending an event or supporting conversations > > about the observance and its meaning. > > > > The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to > > which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged > > material. Any review, transmission, re-transmission, dissemination or other > > use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon this information by persons > > or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received > > this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any > > computer.