Dear colleagues,
Berkeley Lab will celebrate Juneteenth on Monday, June 19, 2023. The Lab will be closed on Monday.
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 of African descent. A longtime annual celebration for many Black and African American people, Juneteenth was established as a federal, UC, and Lab holiday in 2021 as a day to reflect on the experiences of Black people in America.
This Sunday, June 18, Berkeley Lab is participating in the Berkeley Juneteenth Festival, the longest-running Juneteenth event in Northern California. The event takes place from 11 am-7 pm in south Berkeley’s five-block Alcatraz-Adeline corridor. Our Government & Community Relations Office is looking for a few more volunteers for the Lab’s booth; if you can’t volunteer, please stop by the event to join our community in this celebration. To learn more about Juneteenth and its significance, visit berkeleyjuneteenth.org.
Most importantly, Juneteenth is a day for each of us to reflect on the history of our country’s treatment of Black and African American people and to consider how our Lab values compel us to be part of building a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive future.
Mike Witherell
Laboratory Director
Carol Burns
Deputy Lab Director for Research and CRO
Michael Brandt
Deputy Lab Director for Operations and COO
