HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022.06.17 - 2023 Juneteenth Day - 2023.06.19Proclamation
“Juneteenth Day”
June 19, 2023
WHEREAS, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States; and
WHEREAS, on June 19th, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free, two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement and is marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future; and WHEREAS, in cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today; and WHEREAS, sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society; and
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Blanche Barajas, Mayor of the City of Pasco, Washington, do hereby proclaim June 19, 2023, as "Juneteenth Day".
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Official Seal of the City of Pasco, State of Washington, to be affixed this 17th day of June 2023.
Blanche Barajas, Mayor City of Pasco