Juneteenth 2022 combined

Juneteenth needs to take its rightful place in our public conversation, in the telling of history and as a guidepost for future planning and action.

For King County Metro, Juneteenth is an opportunity to continue discussions that started in earnest after the May 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The current city council districts tell the story of a political feud without prioritizing collaborative effort from communities of color, resulting in further housing and economic disparities. This year, Seattle has a chance to change the narrative with the redistricting process.

Juneteenth marks the day African Americans in the state of Texas belatedly received word that President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had freed the nation’s slaves.

According to the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation, the Juneteenth Flag represents a star of Texas bursting with new freedom throughout the land, over a new horizon. The Juneteenth Flag also represents a new freedom, a new people, and a new star.

On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, effectively freeing slaves in the South.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation, it captured the hearts and imagination of millions of Americans and fundamentally transformed the character of the war.

In 1872, Yates and other Freedman’s town residents – Elias Dibble, Richard Allen and Richard Brock – purchased the 10 acres of land at the corner of Dowling Avenue (now Emancipation Avenue) and Elgin, and named it Emancipation Park, in honor of their newly received freedom, and as a place to organize and celebrate Juneteenth with their families for generations to come.