Message from the Mayor: Juneteenth

Today we honor as “Juneteenth Independence Day” in recognition of June 19, 1865, the date on which slavery legally came to an end in all sections of the United States. We remember the tremendous sacrifices that were necessary to establish democracy and equal rights in our country.

 

The end of slavery did not reach all corners of the United States, in particular the State of Texas and the other parts of the Confederacy, until months after the conclusion of the Civil War, more than 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.  

 

African-Americans who were previously enslaved in the Southwest began the celebration of June 19, commonly known as “Juneteenth Independence Day”. African-Americans around the country continued the tradition of observing Juneteenth for over 150 years.  

 

Now, an overwhelming majority of American states have declared Juneteenth Independence Day as a special day of observance in recognition of the destruction of slavery in the United States.

 

On May 18, 2020, at the recommendation of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to recognize Juneteenth. 

 

I encourage all residents to observe this day appropriately and take this opportunity to: reflect on the role of slavery in the development of our country; the sacrifices necessary to defeat slavey; the struggles that remain under way to eliminate racism; and the faith and strength of character by the formerly enslaved and the descendants of former as an example for all people of the United States, regardless of race.

 

Brian Pugh, Mayor