WHEREAS, on June 19, 1865, Union Army Major General Gordon Granger led troops into Galveston, Texas, and presented an order announcing all enslaved people were now free, two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, and

WHEREAS, this holiday is the oldest known observance of the end of slavery in the United States and commemorates the hardship, resilience and bravery of Black Americans in the fight for freedom; and

WHEREAS, Juneteenth did not mark the end of racism in America, but is a critical and culturally significant milestone in the ongoing struggle to end all forms of race-based oppression; and

WHEREAS, guided by our core values and a firm commitment to equity and inclusion, our agency acknowledges the ongoing existence and impacts of racism, and the importance for all in our community to experience a sense of belonging within our public parks and recreation opportunities; and

WHEREAS, we are grateful to our community partners for hosting an annual Juneteenth event to commemorate the ongoing efforts to acknowledge and learn from history and create a more equitable, thoughtful and just future.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Park Commissioners hereby proclaims Juneteenth as a Parks Tacoma holiday and encourages all Tacomans to celebrate this day in honor of the hard-won freedom of Black Americans.

The foregoing proclamation was adopted by the Board of Park Commissioners of the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma at a regularly scheduled meeting held on June 8, 2026.