Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased that UC and the Lab are again celebrating Juneteenth by observing the federal holiday on Monday, June 20, 2022. The Lab will be closed on Monday.
For many, observing Juneteenth as a holiday is a new tradition, but it has long been established as a day of celebration for Black and African American people marking freedom from slavery. June 19, shortened to Juneteenth, is the date in 1865 that federal forces arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce federal laws enacted two and a half years earlier prohibiting the enslavement of people.
The Lab’s African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG) is celebrating this date with several Lab events. Join a session on Wednesday, June 15 at noon to learn more about the holiday and how it is celebrated. For the first time, the Lab’s African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG) and the Government & Community Relations Office will have a Lab booth at the Berkeley Juneteenth Festival on Sunday, June 19. Please stop by the Lab’s booth to say hello.
Juneteenth is also an opportunity to reflect on the history of our country’s treatment of African Americans and to consider how our values can help guide us into a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive future. Thanks to the Lab’s welcoming and inclusive environment, we can continue to learn from one another and together celebrate each advancement in building an inclusive society.
Mike Witherell
Laboratory Director
Carol Burns
Deputy Lab Director for Research and CRO
Michael Brandt
Deputy Lab Director for Operations and COO
