BATON ROUGE, La. – Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome declared Friday, June 19, 2020, Juneteenth Day for the City of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish. The holiday represents the symbolic and historical commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth also celebrates and highlights the achievements of notable, historical African American figures and encourages the continuous development and accomplishments of the African American community.
“In 2003 as a State Representative, I authored and passed Act 433 which recognizes the third Saturday in June as Juneteenth Day throughout the state of Louisiana,” said Mayor Broome. “Now as Mayor-President, I proclaim today Juneteenth Day in the City of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish. Let us celebrate its significance and pause to remember the journey of African Americans in this country.”
On June 19th, 1865, more than two and a half years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. Juneteenth Day in Baton Rouge honors the anniversary of the last remaining African American slaves and celebrates the cultural and historical contributions of freed African Americans to this country and our community.
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