Dear Antiochians,
Happy Juneteenth!
Today is a day to reflect on—and celebrate—the period in our nation’s history when our government finally abolished the system whereby hundreds of thousands of white Americans enslaved millions of Black men, women, and children. It was 160 years ago today that the Emancipation Proclamation was finally enforced in Galveston, TX. That day, and every anniversary since, there has been much to celebrate: the emancipation of millions of Americans, the failure of what Frederick Douglass called the “slaveholders’ rebellion,” and a notable step towards fulfilling America’s promise as a land of liberty and justice for all. In many ways, Juneteenth is our country’s second Independence Day.
Here at Antioch, we are also celebrating another, related anniversary: 60 years ago today, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave our institution’s Commencement Address. (Listen to King’s full remarks here.) I wrote about this speech just a few months ago, when MLK Day coincided with the U.S. Presidential Inauguration. And today, in the midst of Antioch University’s various 2025 Commencement ceremonies and all the challenges currently facing our country and world, I’m again thinking of King’s charge to the 1965 graduates to become “involved in all of the struggles of mankind, to make this nation, to make this world better.”
Justice and liberty are goals we must strive, organize, teach, and fight for again and again. 2025 is a different era for our country than 1865 or 1965, but the basic question remains the same: will we as a country continue our evolution into a more pluralistic, multi-racial democracy, or will we turn back towards the ideology of white supremacy?
In many ways, these are difficult times. But I take some comfort in looking back at previous moments of crisis in American history, when great struggle and suffering did finally lead to us becoming a more just nation. Juneteenth is a chance to celebrate one such victory. And I hope you do have a chance to celebrate and find joy today, because collective celebration is one of the ways we can find strength to continue in the struggle to make our nation and world better.
Sincerely,
Bill Groves
