Dear Rice Community Members,
Rice University is hosting its second annual lecture series to commemorate Juneteenth. “Juneteenth and Emancipations to Come,” will be held online from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, June 17. The series will explore ideas and questions central to the holiday, which is celebrated nationwide in commemoration of the end of slavery.
Rice launched the series last year in hopes of beginning a process of reflection and discussion on the history of racial injustice, and to begin working toward a more diverse and inclusive community at Rice.
As is alluded to in this year’s series title, emancipation is a process. Rice is dedicated to that process and to the acts of discovery, reflection and change. The Juneteenth lecture series is part of that process and is open to all who want to participate.
The series will kick off with a panel of short talks by Rice faculty on engineering for black lives. The second panel of talks will focus on blackness and future freedoms. The series will conclude with an update from the Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice, whose charge is to investigate Rice’s past with respect to slavery, segregation and racial injustice; to encourage frank and honest discussion about the past; and to identify suggestions for Rice’s future.
Additional information about the program and how to tune in are attached. You can also read more about it in Rice News. All are welcome and encouraged to join.
Warm regards,
David Leebron, President
Reginald DesRoches, Provost
Alexander Byrd, Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion