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It is our pleasure to announce that our state legislature has designated June 19th, or Juneteenth, as an official State of Tennessee holiday. Until now, June 19th has been a day of "special observance" in Tennessee. Juneteenth recognizes the emancipation of enslaved people in America, and it was officially designated a federal holiday in 2021. Full details about the history and importance of this date are included below.
With this new designation, TCAT Dickson will be closed for students and employees on June 19, 2023, to celebrate Juneteenth.
Since TCATs are clock hour institutions, as opposed to credit hour like community colleges, we must provide 432 hours of instruction time per trimester. Since June 19th was originally scheduled as a class day, and now we will be closed for the new holiday, we will need to make this time up as we have done in the past with inclement weather days. We are scheduling the make up hours for one half hour per day beginning June 5 and ending on June 21, 2023. Instructors will work with students to set the hours as works best for each individual program. Attached is a revised 2023 calendar. The 2024 calendar will be shared soon and already includes this new holiday.
Juneteenth (officially Juneteenth National Independence Day and known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of African American slaves. It is also often observed for celebrating African American culture. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1865. The original observances included prayer meetings and the singing of spirituals, and celebrants wore new clothes as a way of representing their newfound freedom. Within a few years, African Americans in other states were celebrating the day as well, making it an annual tradition. Celebrations have continued across the United States into the 21st century and typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with music, food, and dancing. The day was recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Juneteenth's commemoration is on the anniversary date of the June 19, 1865, announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army general Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas, which was the last state of the Confederacy with institutional slavery.
