WHEREAS, June nineteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, or Jubilee Day, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans; and
WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, setting in motion the end of slavery in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth observes the events of June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger led Union soldiers into Galveston, Texas, bringing news that the Civil War had ended and that the Emancipation Proclamation had declared all enslaved people free nearly two and a half years earlier; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth is a time to remember what has happened since the year 1865, and to celebrate the cultural achievements of African Americans and reminds us of the precious promises of freedom, equality and opportunity which is the core of the American Dream; and
WHEREAS, On Juneteenth, we recommit ourselves to the work of equity, equality, and justice and urge all citizens to become more aware of the significance of this celebration in African-American History and in the heritage of our nation and town;
NOW, THEREFORE I, Vicki Tesoro, by virtue of the authority vested in me as First Selectman of the Town of Trumbull, Connecticut, do hereby proclaim June 19, 2023 as JUNETEENTH DAY.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Town of Trumbull to be affixed on the 19th day of June in the year 2023.
Vicki Tesoro, First Selectman