022 of 2021 - Recognizing June 19, 2021 as Juneteenth Freedom Day in Salt Lake City.
RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING JUNE 19TH AS
JUNETEENTH DAY IN SALT LAKE CITY
WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln first issued the Emancipation Proclamation
effective January 1, 1863, decreeing all people held as slaves be “henceforward”
free, however, some southern enslavers ignored that order; and
WHEREAS, Union General Gordon Granger was dispatched to Galveston, Texas to
announce the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and on June 19,
1865 enforced the president’s 1863 order freeing the people still held in human
bondage in the State of Texas, two and a half years after it was first decreed;
and
WHEREAS, June 19th has since come to be known as Juneteenth and is one of the oldest
celebrations in America growing out of the experiences of Black Americans and
their enslaved ancestors and is a celebration of the ending of chattel slavery in
America with the first “official” Juneteenth celebration taking place in Texas in
1866; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth provides an opportunity for the City to celebrate Black American
heritage and honor the lives, sacrifices and contributions that are woven into
the American fabric; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth also acknowledges America’s commitment to liberty and equality in
accordance with the Constitution of the United States, along with the
Emancipation Proclamation, and the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which
abolished slavery, ratified by Congress on December 6, 1865; and
WHEREAS, through other systems of oppression, such as sharecropping, Jim Crow,
redlining, and mass incarceration, the plunder of Black bodies and Black wealth
continued past slavery and persists to this day, disproportionately affecting the
physical and mental health, safety, and education of Black Americans; and
WHEREAS, the candid acknowledgment of this history is necessary if we, as a nation, state,
or city, are successful in our effort to build a truly equitable community that
exemplifies and promotes the fundamental American values of freedom,
diversity, equality, liberty, and justice; and
WHEREAS, the State of Utah recognizes Juneteenth Freedom Day, on the third Saturday in
June.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that Salt Lake City Council and Mayor recognize June 19, 2021 as Juneteenth
Freedom Day in Salt Lake City in celebration of the culturally important role of
emancipation and the work toward that liberation in our past, present, and
future.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that Salt Lake City emphasizes the freedom and dignity of every human being
and opposes and rejects any form of oppression.
Adopted this 15th day of June 2021
__________________________ ______________________
Erin Mendenhall Amy Fowler, Chair
Salt Lake City Mayor Salt Lake City Council Member, District Seven
__________________________ ________________________
James Rogers, Vice Chair Dennis Faris
Salt Lake City Council Member, District One Salt Lake City Council Member, District Two
______________________________ ____________________________
Chris Wharton Ana Valdemoros
Salt Lake City Council Member, District Three Salt Lake City Council Member, District Four
__________________________ __________________________
Darin Mano Daniel Dugan
Salt Lake City Council Member, District Five Salt Lake City Council Member, District Six