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Celebration and Recognition of Juneteenth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
June 19, 2020 
Contact: Olivia LaVecchia 
                (802) 734-0617 

Celebration and Recognition of Juneteenth

 

Burlington, VT – Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger issued the following statement and below proclamation in celebration and recognition of Juneteenth:

“June 19, 1865 was a foundational day in the history of our country. It should be celebrated along with our other great milestones as a day when the struggle for freedom triumphed.

“On that day, General Gordon Granger arrived on horseback with 2,000 soldiers in Galveston, Texas and issued a proclamation stating: “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a proclamation of the Executive of the United States slaves are free. This involves an absolutely equality of personal rights and rights of property.”

“With that, nearly two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, the institution of slavery as it had existed was finally ended throughout the United States. When people who had been enslaved heard the news that day, they celebrated and rejoiced. Today, 155 years later, we remember and again celebrate this moment of progress.

“At the same time, when people were freed from bondage, they were given nothing with which to start new lives, and this country has never fully reckoned with that history or great debt.

“Juneteenth is a day of celebration – and also one of reckoning. In the years of delay it took for emancipation to reach Texas, we can also see the slowness with which this country has moved to ensure not only basic freedoms, but also the broader rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for all Americans.

“We still today must do much more to ensure equal access to those rights. I am committed to working with partners to address this here in Burlington, and I feel great hope that our current moment represents an opportunity to create real and lasting change.

“In future years, the City will seek to partner with community leaders to make Juneteenth even more of a moment of vibrant celebration and reflection here in Burlington. This year, I encourage all Burlingtonians to use this day to reflect on our country’s history and how we can work together to forge a more just future.”

See also:

- Procalamtion

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Press Release Date: 
06/19/2020
City Department: 
Mayor's Office