NMT closed to observe Juneteenth
June 18, 2024
The Juneteenth flag is seen waving in the wind during a flag raising ceremony in recognition and celebration of Juneteenth at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)
New Mexico Tech is closed on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, to observe Juneteenth.
The official flag carries a lone star to signify Texas, as Galveston is the site where Gen. George Granger announced in 1865 that slaves had been emancipated in 1863. Read more about its symbolism here. https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/17/us/juneteenth-flag-meaning-explainer-cec/index.html
Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” wants she wants all of America to celebrate freedom all the way from June 19 to July 4. In 2021, prior to June 19 being made a national holiday, she told journalist Raj Mankad of the Houston Chronicle: “I just know that there are people who hold back…. They want to help but they don't want to be accused. You know this Juneteenth thing, when it becomes a national holiday, will be the catalyst that’s going to make all of us realize that we are the same; we are made by one God ... I believe that if you can be taught to hate, you can be taught to love.”