Making Juneteenth a City Holiday Would Honor a Significant Moment in History

The City of Bremerton values diversity, encourages inclusion and tolerance and strives to promote those principles within our City. In honor of those efforts, my administration has created a new ordinance that would establish June 19, recognized as Juneteenth, as a legal holiday for all City employees for the first time. On Wed., June 16, the Bremerton City Council will decide whether to move forward on the ordinance. If passed, the 19th of June would be recognized as an official City holiday in 2022. 

Juneteenth - also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day – highlights the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform enslaved Black Americans of their freedom more than two and half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln.

June 19 celebrates freedom, spirit and resilience. An official City holiday for Juneteenth would faithfully recognize the historic significance of the day and its promise for the future. 

The time is now to make this important date a holiday for our City. 

UPDATED: Access the link for the June 16 City Council vote on the ordinance here: BremertonWA.gov/691/Council-Meetings.