The University of Illinois Cancer Center joined the nation in honoring, celebrating and reflecting on Juneteenth, the day (June 19, 1865) when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 but it wasn’t until 1865 that the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery and the Civil Rights Act of 1866 established people born in the United States were citizens.
Struggle for Equality
We reflect on the past and acknowledge the struggle for equality is far from over.
With our mission to create and deliver equitable precision cancer care that is accessible to all, the Cancer Center is committed to health equity; educating and training diverse cancer researchers and physicians; eliminating racial cancer health disparities; and addressing the disproportionate effect of climate change on racial and ethnic minority communities.
“The time is always right to do what is right,” said the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.