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Honoring and recognizing the national holiday of Juneteenth in the City of Saint Paul.
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WHEREAS, Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, or Juneteenth Independence Day, commemorates the emancipation of American descendants of chattel slavery in the United States; and
WHEREAS, on June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, historically known to be where the remaining American descendants of chattel slavery were and announced the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of all enslaved people, over two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation; and
WHEREAS, Union General William T. Sherman’s planned to give American descendants of chattel slavery “forty acres and a mule” was among the first and most significant promises made - and broken - to African Americans. As the Union army gradually took over Confederate territory, there was a question as to what freedom really meant for emancipated slaves. Without property, money, or an education, most did not have a clear or immediate path toward economic independence; and
WHEREAS, after the abolishment of slavery, American descendants of chattel slavery experienced extreme disparities through Jim Crow laws, sharecropping, lynching, redlining, segregation, mass incarceration, forced segregation, mass atrocities in Tulsa and Rosewood, and many other forms of systemic oppression that impact Black Americans today; and
WHEREAS, in Saint Paul, systemic discrimination was perpetrated through redlining and racial covenants, access to housing, environmental injustice and the removal of Saint Paul’s Rondo neighborhood - the center of Saint Paul’s African American business, residential, spiritual and cultural life - for the construction of Interstate 94; and
WHEREAS, In 2023, the City of Saint Paul established the Saint Paul Recovery Act Community Reparations Commission, as envisioned, will make significant progress toward repairing the damage caused by public and private systemic racism in the City of Saint Paul, and will issue a report for consideration by the city, which will focus on but not be limited to strategies to grow equity and generational wealth, closing the gaps in home ownership, health care, education, employment and pay, and fairness within criminal justice among the American descendants of chattel slavery; and
WHEREAS, that the City Council of Saint Paul called on all organizations and institutions in Saint Paul that have advanced and benefited from racial inequity to join the city in these apologies and invites them to address racism within their own structures and programs and to work with the city to more comprehensively address systemic racism; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth has been celebrated by Black People since the late 19th century and has become a significant holiday promoting African American culture, history, and continued resilience in spite of these systems; and
WHEREAS, honoring and recognizing Juneteenth provides an opportunity for all residents of Saint Paul to learn about and reflect on the history and ongoing struggles for racial equity and justice in the United States for Black people; and
WHEREAS, the recognition of Juneteenth as a city holiday aligns with Saint Paul's dedication to equity, inclusion, and the celebration of the contributions of Black People to our city's social, cultural, and economic fabric; and
WHEREAS, since 2021, the United States Congress and President Joe Biden took formal action to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, and in Saint Paul, Mayor Melvin Carter established Juneteenth as an official city holiday; and
WHEREAS, various community organizations, educational institutions, and cultural groups in Saint Paul have consistently organized events and activities to commemorate Juneteenth, such as Rondo Days, fostering greater awareness and understanding of this pivotal day in American history; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Saint Paul encourages all residents to participate in Juneteenth activities, to educate themselves on the historical significance of Juneteenth, and to work towards a more equitable and just society.