CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Harvard University announced they will be closed on Friday to commemorate Juneteenth. All staff and faculty will have a paid day off.
Juneteenth marks the day — June 19, 1865 — that the last slaves in the United States were told they were free.
"It offers a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the promise of a new beginning, and I cannot imagine a better year for Harvard to begin recognizing its significance," Harvard President Lawrence Bacow said in a letter to the school's community.
Bacow also wrote that the Harvard Gazette has been featuring "related coverage and resources" this week.
"I encourage you to learn more about the many ways in which members of our community are advancing the cause of racial justice in America," Bacow wrote. "Each of us has a role to play in considering the past and the present as we work together to imagine our future, and I am proud to undertake that important — and essential — work with you all."
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(Photo: Mario Jarjour/WBZ NewsRadio)