Shawn Gibson

We asked members of the Jacobs School community: “What does Juneteenth mean to you?” 

Shawn Gibson, a student in the medical education program and a UB alumnus, shares:

“On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, approximately 250,000 slaves found out they were finally free. To me, Juneteenth represents: 1. resiliency, 2. hopefulness and 3. a time for everyone to reflect on the disadvantages that many have faced in this country and what we are doing to ensure that there will be change.”