North Little Rock e-Newsletter Provided by Diane Whitbey, City Clerk and Treasurer
June 2023
Juneteenth: The history of a Holiday put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which Found at The New York Times and edited for space.
On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas were told they were free. A century and a half later, people across the U.S. continue to celebrate the day, which is now a federal (and City of NLR) holiday. Juneteenth, an annual commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States after the Civil War, has been celebrated since the late 1800s. President Joe Biden signed legislation in 2021 that made Juneteenth, which falls on June 19, a federal holiday, after interest in the day was renewed during the summer of 2020. How did Juneteenth begin? On June 19, 1865, about two months after the Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va., Gordon Granger, a Union general, arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. General Granger’s announcement
had been issued nearly two and a half years earlier, on January 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln. Early celebrations involved prayer and family gatherings, and later included annual pilgrimages to Galveston by former enslaved people and their families. In 1872, a group of African American ministers and businessmen in Houston purchased 10 acres of land and created Emancipation Park which was intended to hold the city’s annual Juneteenth celebration. The path to a national holiday. In 1980, Texas became the first state to designate Juneteenth as a holiday. All states and the District of Columbia now recognize the day in some form. Congress filed legislation in the summer of 2021. In the House, the measure passed by a vote of 415 to 14. And on June 17 of the same year, President Bidin signed the bill into law, making Juneteenth the 11th holiday recognized by the federal government. Why is it called Juneteenth? The name “Juneteenth” references the date of the holiday, combining the words “June” and “Nineteenth.”
Monday, May 22, 2023, North Little Rock City Council Members unanimously sponsored and adopted an ordinance declaring June 19th a city holiday in recognition of African American history, culture and achievements. The City of North Little Rock appreciates all of our wonderful employees (new and seasoned). We are very fortunate to have a group of individuals who work every day to keep North Little Rock the wonderful city we all know and love. NLR City Offices will be closed Monday, June 19, 2023 in observance of the Juneteenth Day. “Where’s Mel”? We are pausing the seek and find this month, but Mel will back in hiding next month!
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