Juneteenth 2025: Celebrating Our Shared Equality and Humanity Also known “Freedom Day,” Juneteenth is an annual American holiday that commemorates the conclusion of military efforts to maintain chattel slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865. This occurred more than two years President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, freeing enslaved human beings in other states. Today, it is widely recognized as a holiday that commemorates the liberation of enslaved African Americans in the United States.
Jewish American Heritage Month 2025: Celebrating Resilience and Belonging By Yvette M. Alex-AssensohIn 2006, May became federally recognized as Jewish American Heritage Month. In the years since, Americans of all walks of life have been exploring and celebrating the beauty of the Jewish experience, both past and present. It is also an important reminder to educate ourselves and others on modern antisemitism locally, regionally and nationally.
Black History Month 2025: Many Hands Make Light Work For our campus community, Black History Month offers an opportunity to highlight the historical contributions of Black people at the UO, in the Eugene community and throughout Oregon. It is an annual celebration that takes place each February in the United States and Canada, and every October in the United Kingdom.
Native American Heritage Month 2024: Finding Liberation in the Celebration Native American people were our nation’s first artists, inventors, scientists, and stewards of the land where we live, learn, work and play today. In Oregon, their descendants make up 4% of the total population and live in every county of our state. They are not a monolith: some are members of the nine federally-recognized tribes, others are not.
National Disability Awareness Month 2024: Workplace Equity Benefits Everybody October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a month dedicated to celebrating the value and talent Americans with disabilities contribute to our nation’s workplaces and economy. This year’s theme, “Access to Good Jobs for All,” reminds us that everyone, regardless of ability, deserves an opportunity to prepare for, obtain and succeed in meaningful employment.
Latinx Heritage Month 2024: Embracing the Spirit of the Possibility of Change, on Campus and Beyond Since its evolution from a week-long to month-long observation, Hispanic Heritage Month, also known as Latinx Heritage Month, has proven staying power. The nationally recognized month (September 15 through October 15) celebrates the countless contributions of Americans with ancestral ties to the Caribbean Spanish-speaking nations, Central America, Mexico, and South America.
