City Of West Hollywood: City Of West Hollywood And Dignity And Power Now Host Virtual Panel Discussion On June 19 In Recognition Of June ...

Press release from the City of West Hollywood:

June 15, 2021 10:21 AM

The City of West Hollywood and Dignity and Power Now will present a virtual panel discussion about racial injustice on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at 12 p.m. in recognition of Juneteenth, the date that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

Dignity and Power Now (DPN) is a Los Angeles-based grassroots organization founded in 2012 that fights for the dignity and power of all incarcerated people, their families, and communities. Its mission is to build a Black- and Brown-led abolitionist movement rooted in community power towards the goal of achieving transformative justice and healing justice for all incarcerated people, their families, and communities.

RSVP to watch the virtual panel discussion via the Zoom platform by clicking here. Community members may live-stream the panel by visiting the City’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wehotv. 

“So many Black lives are lost too soon to violence. Juneteenth was first marked as a holiday more than 150 years ago. In 2021, racial injustice, systemic racism, and police brutality are still day-to-day realities in our nation,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath. “We must continue to ask difficult questions and we must commit to work for systemic change. I hope you can join this virtual panel discussion on June 19 as we examine the fight for dignity and power and what meaningful change looks like in support of fairness, inclusivity, equality, and justice.”

Juneteenth is recognized on June 19 each year and is a date that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It was on June 19 in 1865, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, that news reached Texas and orders were read in Galveston that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free. Juneteenth is not only a reminder of a painful chapter in American history, but it also serves as an opportunity for people to recommit to combat all forms of modern-day slavery, human trafficking, and racial injustice.

For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s Juneteenth virtual panel discussion, please contact Andi Lovano, the City of West Hollywood’s Community & Legislative Affairs Supervisor, at (323) 848-6333 or at alovano@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

The City of West Hollywood has declared a local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. West Hollywood City Hall is currently closed to the public and has suspended all in-person transactions. Most public City buildings and facilities remain closed. City Hall remains accessible for business and essential services with transactions to be conducted by phone (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org.

City of West Hollywood coronavirus updates are available at www.weho.org/coronavirus and the City encourages community members to follow @wehocity on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and turn on notifications. For up-to-date news and events, follow the City of West Hollywood on social media, sign up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.

This press release was produced by the City of West Hollywood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.