City of Santa Maria
Santa Maria, California
Proclamation
WHEREAS, news of the end of chattel slavery did not reach the frontier areas of the United States, in particular the State of Texas, until months after the conclusion of the Civil War, more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on “rebellious states,” on January 1, 1863; and
WHEREAS, Union troops, led by General Gordon Granger, entered Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, issuing General Order Number Three, which ordered enslaved African people in Texas to be free and stated that “this involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former enslavers and enslaves;” and
WHEREAS, chattel slavery still continued in Union border states of Kentucky and Deleware, which was abolished by the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the US constitution in December of 1865; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth allows us to celebrate the freeing of enslaved people and reflect on the condition of the lives of their descendants in our present day.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ALICE M. PATINO, Mayor of the City of Santa Maria, hereby recognize June 19, 2023, as:
“JUNETEENTH INDEPENDENCE DAY”
in the City of Santa Maria , and encourage all residents to use this time to learn about the legacy of Black peoples in the City of Santa Maria, County of Santa Barbara, State of California, and United States of America.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and have caused t he Seal of the City of Santa Maria to be affixed hereto this 20th day of June 2023.
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Alice M. Patino, Mayor