Proclaiming Celebration of Juneteenth as a Parks Tacoma Holiday

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Board Proclamation

Proclaiming Celebration of Juneteenth as a Parks Tacoma Holiday

WHEREAS, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston and announced to the people of Texas that in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation — issued three years earlier, from the Executive Office of the United States of America — that all slaves are free.

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma acknowledges and celebrates the nation’s movement forward from President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation issued on September 22, 1862 to General Granger’s 1865 Order and finally the adoption of the thirteenth amendment to the US Constitution on December 18, 1865, and

WHEREAS, on February 8, 2021, the Board of Park Commissioners designated Juneteenth as an officially recognized holiday to be observed annually by Parks Tacoma, to acknowledge and celebrate the period during which enslaved African Americans in the Confederate states learned that they were free, and

WHEREAS, the Board of Park Commissioners approved Anti-Racism Resolution No. R32-20 to disrupt structural and institutional racism, to honor, appreciate, and build on the contributions made by the Black community, and to illustrate the agency’s commitment to becoming a more just, equitable, diverse, accessible and inclusive organization; and

WHEREAS, on June 17, 2021, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law; and today, 49 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday or day of observance, and

WHEREAS, Governor Inslee signed a Washington State bill declaring Juneteenth as a legal holiday on May 13, 2021 and encourages local jurisdictions to do the same, explaining that observance of Juneteenth is one way we recognize the horror and brutality of slavery and somberly reflect that the Declaration of Independence did not grant Black Americans liberty; and

FURTHER WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma will observe June 19 each year as part of our commitment to anti-racism, racial and social justice, and will welcome a community hosted celebration taking place at Wright Park on June 19, 2022 encouraging a day of reflection, recognition, acknowledgment, and healing;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Park Commissioners, hereby proclaims JUNETEENTH as a Parks Tacoma holiday. We encourage all Tacoma citizens to recognize the continued need to battle racism and to build a society that is more just, peaceful, and prosperous for all.

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 13, 2022.