Brentwood News: Commissioners Proclaim June 19 as Juneteenth Day

From the City of Brentwood:

May 25, 2021

Juneteenth, or also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day, is a day celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Juneteenth is not a national holiday in the United States. It became a state holiday in Texas in 1980, and a number of other states have since declared it a state holiday or day of observance.

At the Monday, May 24 meeting, the Brentwood City Commission approved a proclamation honoring the day in Brentwood. Members of the African American Society were present.

Proclamation

Whereas, Juneteenth is celebrated annually on June 19 commemorating the end of slavery in the United States; and

Whereas, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that “all slaves are free”; and

Whereas, the African American Heritage Society of Williamson County has celebrated Juneteenth for the past sixteen years; and

Whereas, this year is exceptionally special for them as a marker will be placed at Fort Granger at Pinkerton Park in Franklin in honor of Major General Granger; and

Whereas, the City of Brentwood desires to thank the African American Heritage Society for their efforts in the community.

Now, Therefore, as Mayor of the City of Brentwood, I do join with the Board of Commissioners to proclaim June 19, 2021 as “Juneteenth Day” in the City of Brentwood and urge citizens to celebrate the great freedoms we as Americans are blessed with each day.

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