Juneteenth

June 18, 2026

Dear Wolf Pack Family,

I hope you are having a wonderful summer!

More than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to ensure its enforcement and free the last 250,000 enslaved Black Americans. Since then, Juneteenth has become a day to celebrate resilience and recognize the progress made toward a more equitable society.

In 2023, Gov. Joe Lombardo signed Assembly Bill 140, designating Juneteenth as a legal holiday in the state of Nevada on June 19 each year. That action followed the 2021 signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act by President Joe Biden, making Juneteenth the nation’s 12th federal holiday.

Juneteenth provides the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of Black alumni and trailblazers at the University of Nevada, Reno. Among those pioneers was Theodore Miller, who became the University’s first black graduate in 1930, and Stella Mason Parson, who became the first Black woman to graduate from the University in 1952.

The University’s history is also marked by the accomplishments of Arthur James, who attended the University for three years, 1919–1922 and is the earliest documented African American to play football at Nevada. James paved the way for generations of Black student-athletes at the University, including future NFL Hall of Famer Marion Motley, who, along with Kenny Washington, Woody Strode and Bill Willis, broke professional football’s color barrier in 1946 — and Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who, after starring for the San Francisco 49ers, has become a leading voice for social justice in the United States and around the world.

These stories reflect the enduring spirit of resilience and progress that Juneteenth represents, and they call on each of us to carry that work forward.

Go Pack!

Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval
President