Mayor Quill Proclaims June 19, 2019 as Juneteenth Day in the City of Auburn

WHEREAS on the 22nd day of September, 1862, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing the following:  "That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom."; and

WHEREAS, June 19, 1865 is recognized as the day that Galveston, Texas received word that all slaves had been formally emancipated by President Lincoln; and

WHEREAS, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging~continuous self-development~and~respect for all cultures; and

WHEREAS, we pay tribute to the journey, we acknowledge the many roles and contributions of the African American spirit to our society, from Harriet Tubman’s work as a conductor of the Underground Railroad to the trail blazers of today; and

WHEREAS, no matter our race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, we recommit ourselves to honoring the efforts of those who fought so hard to steer our country toward our highest ideals. 

NOW THEREFORE, I, Michael D. Quill, Mayor of the City of Auburn, New York, on behalf of the City Council and Citizens of Auburn, do hereby proclaim June 19, 2019 as,

Juneteenth Day

in the City of Auburn, and encourage all Citizens to observe this day with appropriate civic, community and activities embracing the past as well as the future that only unity, respect and appreciation can bring.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the City of Auburn to be affixed this Fifteenth day of June 2019.

Michael D. Quill

Mayor

City of Auburn, New York