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A resolution recognizing June 19, 2026, as Juneteenth in Nashville and Davidson County.
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WHEREAS, Juneteenth, also known as "Freedom Day" or "Jubilee Day," recognizes the emancipation of those enslaved in the United States. Juneteenth is observed annually on June 19; and
WHEREAS, on June 19, 1865, the last enslaved African Americans were freed, approximately 250,000 people were told they were free when 2,000 union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced they were free, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued; and
WHEREAS, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on December 6, 1865, ending chattel slavery across the United States and in every territory under its control, except as a criminal punishment; and
WHEREAS, for formerly enslaved African Americans, the Juneteenth celebration was a time for reassuring each other, praying, and gathering remaining family and friends together. Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date; and
WHEREAS, the observance of Juneteenth spread from Texas to the neighboring states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, and spread further with the Great Migration as formerly enslaved Black Americans moved across the country; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth is a day, a week, and in some areas, a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, family gatherings, and community festivals. It is a time for reflection, rejoicing, assessment, self-improvement, and planning for the future; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth activities are held across Nashville to celebrate and support African American culture, art, music, food, and business including Black on Buchanan, Music City Juneteenth Freedom Day 5K, Nashville African American Wind Symphony Juneteenth Concert, Junteenth615 at Centennial Park, and more; and
WHEREAS, on June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law t...
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