06/20/2025
A Juneteenth Message
Today, we gather in remembrance, reflection, and resolute hope.
Juneteenth is not just a holiday—it is a mirror. A mirror that reflects both the unbearable weight of our nation’s original sin and the immeasurable strength, brilliance, and resilience of those who survived it. It marks the day in 1865 when news of emancipation finally reached the last of the enslaved in Galveston, Texas—two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
But let’s be clear: while Juneteenth commemorates delayed freedom, it also confronts us with an enduring truth—freedom delayed is still freedom denied. And in this moment, in 2025, we are still pressing forward.
We live in a time where history is being silenced in classrooms, where justice is uneven, and where the very act of naming systemic racism is under siege. From voter suppression laws to attacks on DEI efforts, from bans on books to the rise of hate crimes, the forces of regression are loud, well-funded, and coordinated. And yet—we are louder. Our ancestors’ voices echo through us. We are their wildest dreams and their unfinished prayers.
Juneteenth demands we honor their legacy not only with celebration, but with commitment. A commitment to remember, resist, and reimagine.
To remember that we are the descendants of scientists, builders, healers, dreamers—of brilliance that predates bo***ge.
To resist every policy, every structure, every lie that tells us we are anything less than whole.
And to reimagine a nation that does not just tolerate Blackness, Brownness, and Indigeneity—but values it, centers it, and is transformed by it.
As President of the Black Faculty and Staff Association at Johns Hopkins, I am deeply honored to serve in a role that uplifts the voices and experiences of those who too often go unseen. Our presence here is not just professional—it is prophetic. We are building new legacies in medicine, research, education, and service, and doing so in the face of history.
So, on this Juneteenth, I ask you—where do you literally, figuratively, and proverbially stand? What will you do with your freedom? And how will you ensure it is not just remembered, but realized—for everyone and for all?
Freedom is not a finish line. It is a fight. And it is our sacred inheritance to keep pushing.
May we never grow weary in our talk.
May we never stop building in our walk.
And may we never stop believing in our song - that a more just, more honest, and more liberated America is not only possible—it is our birthright.
Johns Hopkins University under the leadership of President Daniels, through the request and petition of the BFSA, first recognized Juneteenth as an official university holiday in 2021, following the national movement after the murder of George Floyd and about a month before President Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The State of Maryland recognized Juneteenth as a permanent, official state holiday in May of 2022.
Happy Juneteenth!
In power, in remembrance, in honor, in truth, in solidarity, and in purpose,
Jerrell Bratcher
President, Black Faculty and Staff Association at
Johns Hopkins University | Medicine | Health System
