CITY OF SEBASTOPOL
Proclamation
RECOGNIZING JUNE 19th AS JUNETEENTH DAY
IN THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL
WHEREAS, our country is made up of people from every nation on earth, who are declared equal not only in freedom but also in justice, both of which are essential for a healthy human civilization; and
WHEREAS, our nation was conceived on July 4, 1776 with the Declaration of Independence stating, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"; and WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln first issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, freeing the enslaved people in the Confederate states. However, Southern slave owners ignored that order even as enslaved people in the South worked for freedom, ran to U.S. lines, and fought for the U.S. Army; and
WHEREAS, Celebrated annually on June 19, Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, marks the effective end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, almost two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union Army Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Presidential proclamation announce the end of both the Civil War and slavery; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of this event, on June 16, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by the Senate and House to officially recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday; and WHEREAS, the City of Sebastopol, celebrates freedom, equality, and justice in our community support the continued nationwide celebration of Juneteenth Independence Day to provide an opportunity for the people of the United States to learn more about the past and to better understand and acknowledge the experiences that have shaped the United States.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT I, Mayor Patrick Slayter, and the City of Sebastopol City Council do hereby proclaim June 19th as Juneteenth Day in the City of Sebastopol.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and the Great Seal of the City of Sebastopol this 7th day of June 2022.
Mayor Patrick Slayter