June 19, 2023 – Juneteenth and Our Continuing Work at Davidson

Dear Davidson students, faculty and staff,

I am grateful to belong to a campus community that is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion as fundamental parts of our educational mission. Our Statement of Purpose calls us to cultivate humane instincts and disciplined and creative minds for lives of leadership and service. We celebrate the diverse backgrounds that our students, staff, and faculty bring to campus, and we recognize the dignity and worth of every person. We strive to enact our belief in human equality by listening to and learning from the experiences of fellow community members.

Today is Juneteenth, the day most recently recognized (in 2021) as a US federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation—the declaration of freedom—of formerly enslaved African Americans. It is a holiday at Davidson College, and it provides a moment for solemn reflection on the human costs of slavery at our institution and across the country.

For my part, I learned a great deal about Juneteenth when I read the acclaimed, best-selling book by Davidson alumnus Clint Smith ’10. His book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, includes a chapter on current-day celebrations of Juneteenth in Galveston, Texas. Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, the word of freedom did not reach this Texas island until June 19th, 1865.

Our Inauguration symposium on the future focused on the power of memory—individual and social—for building more just communities. That is why we remember—and will soon acknowledge with a commemoration site—the enslaved persons who labored to construct our original buildings and other exploited workers in later periods of Davidson’s history.

We celebrate the desegregation of Davidson in the early 1960s. Through this spring’s Black Student Coalition (BSC) anniversary weekend, which brought back nearly 150 alumni to campus, I and many others heard the stories of African American students over the past six decades who have been pathbreakers on our campus. Many of the stories included painful memories, including loneliness, disrespect, and exclusion. Other stories were imbued with joy of mutual support and lifelong friendships.

We expect that, in the coming days, the US Supreme Court will hand down a ruling that may limit or remove our ability to consider race or other aspects of identity in our admissions decisions. It is impossible to respond to a court decision that has not been rendered, and it is unwise to guess how narrowly or broadly it will be framed.

At Davidson, we continually seek to build a more inclusive community in which we learn from each other and prepare to lead and serve in a world that needs Davidson graduates. In our admissions work, we focus on understanding the experiences, abilities, and potential of each applicant. Our Statement of Purpose puts it this way: “Davidson seeks students of good character and high academic ability, irrespective of economic circumstances, who share its values and show promise for usefulness to society.”

Clint Smith ends his chapter on Juneteenth with these words: “The project of freedom, Juneteenth reminds us, is precarious and we should regularly remind ourselves how many people who came before us never got to experience it, and how many people are still waiting.” This educational work is an inextricable part of our purpose.

Best wishes for a meaningful holiday.

Doug Hicks '90
President