Memorial Day 2020

Dear HFC Community,

This message is one of many related to our diverse community’s numerous unique holidays, including cultural, historic, and religious observances throughout the year. I am likely to write about the holidays or cultural observances that mean the most to you as they occur throughout the year. Please let me know if you want to learn my plans about a holiday that is specifically important to you.

On Monday, May 25, we will celebrate the federal holiday of Memorial Day. Most public offices, organizations, and schools, including Henry Ford College, encourage employees to honor and celebrate this day with a paid day away from work activities. Like most institutions, we normally suspend classes so that students may celebrate. This year, our break period between Winter and Summer semesters includes the Memorial Day holiday.

Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. It is considered our most solemn national holiday. It is sometimes confused with Veteran’s Day (November 11), which honors all military veterans.

As a military-friendly campus and veteran-friendly employer and gold-level veteran-friendly school, we are proud to welcome all veterans and active-duty military members to our campus community.

Last year, I distributed a detailed history and explanation of this important national holiday. I invite you to read it on our website.

This year, we find ourselves confronting a pandemic, as we honor our fallen service members. This pandemic has caused us to be physically separated during a time when we normally enjoy gathering with loved ones and friends. I encourage you to take the unwelcomed separation from our people and our traditions as an invitation to focus on how, together, we can persevere through this difficult time. Working together as a people, even at a distance, is a fine way to pay tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our society.

Russ Kavalhuna
President
Henry Ford College