The Oakland Park City Commission passed a proclamation recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth during the June 5 meeting.
“We're honored to have Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs, with the African American Research Library and Cultural Center today to be in our presence and I've asked Commissioner [Letitia] Newbold to present the proclamation to her,” said Mayor Mitch Rosenwald.
Commissioner Newbold greeted Hobbs.
“Thank you for coming,” Newbold said. “We love to have you here. Just keep going with LGBTQ we just presented and now we're onto Juneteenth, all about freedoms and our rights.”
Commissioner Newbold stated that Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, observed on June 19 to mark the day in 1865 when news of the end of slavery reached Texas, the last Confederate state. This announcement came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
“Juneteenth celebrates freedom, equality and African American culture and it is observed in various ways: gatherings, events and ceremonies to honor the contributions and resilience of African Americans throughout history,” Newbold said. “And this is a holiday for everyone to celebrate. So, from the city of Oakland Park and the Commission, we're proud to present you with this proclamation.”
Hobbs accepted the proclamation.
“We are very proud to be back with you to accept this proclamation. I just want to commend you for recognizing this holiday, it is so meaningful. It's a very necessary corrective to our collective pasts. Not everybody was free on July the 4th of 1776,” Hobbs said. “And so this federal holiday and your recognition of it is very meaningful and we invite you all to the African American Research Library Cultural Center, we've had a series of programs called ‘Celebrating Freedom’ that have uplifted Florida's emancipation, Haitian Flag Day which was a part of their independence celebration, and Juneteenth. Please know that Broward County Libraries stands in Broward County for intellectual freedom, protecting the freedom to read and we've been doing that work to make sure that all of our stories remain available for our community.”
Photo by Office Holidays, Flickr.
