Juneteenth

June 18, 2026

Dear all,

Tomorrow we observe Juneteenth, which marks the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Americans were set free. This year’s observance of the holiday offers an opportunity to ground celebrations of the country’s upcoming 250th birthday in honest reflection. Commemorating both anniversaries together can help us pay tribute to our country’s original declaration of freedom while committing to the ongoing work of justice and equality. Juneteenth reminds us that liberty is not a static proclamation handed down in 1776; it is a continuous pursuit.

At Vassar, faculty and students explore American history in all its messiness as a way of sharpening critical thinking skills, understanding how we arrived at the present, and building the wisdom needed to shape a better collective future. This spring, for example, our Archives and Special Collections Library was gifted an extraordinary collection of books, manuscripts, and ephemera related to prominent 19th-century abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe by Mary C. Schlosser ’51—an inspiring gift with which we can further explore American history with primary sources.

Local celebrations of Juneteenth include the Fourth Annual Juneteenth Riverfront Festival in Beacon on Friday, Kingston’s Eighth Annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, and the Juneteenth parade and waterfront event hosted by Poughkeepsie’s Celebrating the African Spirit on Saturday.

May this Juneteenth be joyous and meaningful for all.

Elizabeth H. Bradley, President
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
@linkedin.com/in/ehbradley