In honor of this year’s Juneteenth National Independence Day, Team AgLearn is providing information and resources to encourage engagement with our newest Federal holiday.
The information below is a portion of content quoted from Secretary Tom Vilsack’s and Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh's address to all USDA employees.
Background on Juneteenth
“This coming Monday marks an important turning point in United States history. Juneteenth is a critical moment in America’s efforts to face and address our history of injustice and racism. It also signifies our collective aspirations to be a more free and more just union.
On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army landed in Galveston, Texas, informed enslaved people there that the Civil War ended, and officially abolished slavery. Since that time, we have had many setbacks in our pursuit of freedom and equality. Like any great society, we have our share of detractors and setbacks, but let us not forget Abraham Lincoln’s words at Gettysburg:
“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
This week, we celebrate the courage and perseverance folks showed in advancing the notion of emancipation in the face of adversity, and we continue to fight the barriers to our vision of a society where all people are treated with respect and dignity.”
AgLearn Resources
LinkedIn Learning Courses & Learning Paths
- Supporting Allyship and Anti-Racism at Work External Link
- Driving Change and Anti-Racism External Link
- How to Speak Up Against Racism at Work External Link
- Difficult Conversations: Talking about Race at Work External Link
- How to Engage Meaningfully in Allyship and Anti-Racism External Link
Skillsoft-Percipio
- Audiobook: Anti-Racist Leadership: How to Transform Corporate Culture in a Race Conscious World External Link
- Audiobook: Race, Work, and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience External Link
- Book: Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit External Link
- Book: The Business of Race: How to Create and Sustain an Antiracist Workplace—And Why it’s Actually Good for Business External Link
- Book: It's Time to Talk about Race at Work: Every Leader's Guide to Making Progress on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion External Link
Juneteenth Events
Juneteenth: A Time to Celebrate
To commemorate the importance of Juneteeth, on June 15, 2022, at 2:00-3:30 p.m. EDT, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in collaboration with Rural Development (RD) Civil Rights Office will host a virtual event - Juneteenth: A Time to Celebrate. Please register ahead of time External Link.
The USDA event will highlight Juneteenth as a day of independence and homecoming. It is a time to gather as a family, reflect on the past, and look to all the possibilities of the future. The celebration will include a Juneteenth skit. The skit takes place in a university setting with a professor, guest lecturer, college, and high-school students. The lecturer will discuss the history of Juneteenth and answer questions from the students. In addition, the students will display their Juneteenth project. Please join us by watching the lively discussion between the professor and guest lecturer as the classroom turns into a heartwarming time to live, learn, and laugh.