City Council recognizes June 19 as Juneteenth

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved persons in the South; however, southern slave owners ignored that order. On June 19, 1865, union soldiers led by Union General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas, and enforced the President’s order, freeing enslaved persons two and a half years after it was first decreed.

Millions of African-Americans now celebrate June 19, also known as Juneteenth, to honor their ancestors and recognize African-Americans’ continuous struggle for liberation in the United States.

“For any of us who have grown up in the experience of what it means to go to a Black family reunion or a Black cookout, it is this wonderful big celebration. It’s like having a million family reunions happening all at once, with this recognition that we truly are one family,” said Council President Janey as she spoke of the times she celebrated Juneteenth with her family.

This week, the Council adopted a resolution recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth in the City of Boston to celebrate Black lives. “When I think of Juneteenth really being a celebration of Black lives, [I think of it also being] a celebration of Black liberation.”

The resolution states that “the City of Boston and the Boston City Council have a moral obligation to use its authority and power to dismantle racist systems and policies that fail to protect and promote Black lives and put forth legislation that liberates and uplifts Black lives that are more than often left behind.”