STATEMENT ON JUNETEENTH FEDERAL HOLIDAY
Today President Biden signed legislation to make June 19, or “Juneteenth”, a federal holiday.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought to the enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas the news of their freedom. This was two months after the Confederacy had surrendered, and about two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in the Southern states. It is the oldest known celebration in honor of the end of slavery in the United States.
In observance of Saturday’s Juneteenth federal holiday, County offices will be closed on Friday, June 18, 2021.
Summit County is honored to join people of all races, nationalities, and religions across the nation, to truthfully acknowledge a dark period in our history; a time that shaped and continues to influence our society today. On this day, and every day, let us strive to truly live up to the words found in the Declaration of Independence that, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”.
Join us as we celebrate Juneteenth 2021. Check out the events happening throughout the State here: https://bit.ly/3cLYygU
Glenn Wright
Summit County Council Chair