1743RESOLUTION NO ~ 7~3
A RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING JUNETEENTH AND HONORING THE
MEMORY OF MILLIONS OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO DIED IN
CAPTIVITY IN THIS COUNTRY AND THOSE WHO SURVIVED; THIS
RESOLUTION IS ALSO TO DESIGNATE JUNE 002 AS JUNETEENTH
NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY, ALSO KNOWN AS EMANCIPATION DAY
WHEREAS, JUNETEENTH NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY IS THE OLDEST KNOWN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN CELEBRATION OF THE END OF SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES
AND OCCURRED ON OR ABOUT JUNE NINETEENTH 1865, TWO AND A HALF YEARS
AFTER THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAIMATION WAS SIGNED; AND
WHEREAS, IT IS THE WILL AND DESIRE OF THE WEST MEMPHIS, ARKANSAS CITY
COUNCIL TO REQUEST THAT THE CITY'S ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS
COMMISSION PRESENT A PRELIMINARY PLAN WTTHIN 90 DAYS FOR CELEBRATING,
PROMOTING AND SPONSORING A JUNETEENTH EVENT FOR JUNE 2003; AND
WHEREAS, SPONTANEOUS CELEBRATIONS ERUPTED THROUGHOUT THE UNITED
STATES WHEN AFRICAN-AMERICANS LEARNED THAT THEY WERE FREE AND THEIR
DESCENDANTS BEGAN TO HOLD JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS THROUGHOUT THE
NATION; AND
t37
WHEREAS, FOR YEARS, JUNETEENTH HAS BEEN COMMEMORATED
ANNUALLY AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE PARTICIPATING IN THE EVENT HAS
GROWN; AND
WHEREAS, JUNETEENTH COMMEMORATES THE DAY FREEDOM WAS PROCLAIMED TO
ALL BLACK PEOPLE WHD WERE ENSLAVED IN THE SOUTH ON OR ABDUT JUNE 19,1865 IN
GAL VESTON, TEXAS MORE THAN TWO AND A HALF YEARS AFTER THE SIGNING OF THE
EMANCIPATION PROCLAIMATION BYABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT
137
OF THE UNITED STATES. FOR THE FIRST TIME, IN 9i5E~~-YEARS OF THEANNUAL
CELEBRATION, JUNETEENTH HAS BEEN "OFFICIALL Y RECOGNIZED" AS JUNETEENTH
INDEPENDENCE DAYINAMERICA BY THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS OF THE UNITED
STATES; AND
WHEREAS, THIS REALITY IS PARTICULARL Y UNDERSCORED BY THE FACT THAT IT WAS
IN THE 1 ~` SESSION OF THE 105`" CONGRESS VL4 THE BIPARTISAN COOPERATION OF
FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA ROS~COLLINS (D-MICHIGAN), FORMER SENATOR
CAROL MOSELY--BRAUN (D-ILLINOIS), CONGRESSMANJ.C. WATTS (R-OKLAHOMA),
FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER NEWT GINGRICH (R-GEORGIA), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER
TRENT LOTT (R-MISSISSIPPI), AND SENATE MINORITYLEADER TOMDASCHLE (D-SOUTH
DAKOTA), THAT SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 11 AND THE HOUSE H.J. RES: 56 WERE
SUCESSFULLY GUIDED THROUGH BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS, INA SUCESSFUL
EFFORT TO OFFICL4LLY RECOGNIZE JUNETEENTHAS THE INDEPENDENCE DAY
OBSERVANCE OFAMERICANS OFAFRICAN DESCENT IN 1997; AND
WHEREAS, AMERICANS OF ALL COLORS, CREEDS, CULTURES, RELIGIONS, AND
COUNTRIES-OF-ORIGIN, SHARE IN A COMMON LOVE OF AND RESPECT FOR
"FREEDOM", AS WELL AS A DETERMINATION TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHT TO
FREEDOM THROUGH DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS, BY WHICH THE "TENETS-OF-
FREEDOM" ARE GUARANTEED AND PROTECTED. JUNETEENTH INDEPENDENCE DAY
ALONG WITH THE "4`h OF JULY" COMPLETES THE "CYCLE OF FREEDOM" FOR
AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY OBSERVANCES. "UNTIL ALL ARE FREE, NONE ARE
FREE" IS AN OFT REPEATED MAXIM THAT CAN BE USED TO HIGHLIGHT THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE END OF THE ERA OF SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF WEST
MEMPHIS, ARKANSAS THAT:
Iq
UPON THE PASSAGE OF THI5 RESOLUTION THAT THIS DAY OF JUNE~6, 2002 BE KNOWN
AND OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED AS "JUNETEENTH INDEPENDENCE DAY"
AND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF WEST MEMPHIS, ARKANSAS REQUEST THE CITY'S
ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS COMMISSION TO SUBMIT A PRELIMINARY PLAN
WITHIN 90 DAYS FOR THE CELEBRATING, PROMOTING AND SPONSORING OF A
JUNETEENTH EVENT FOR JUNE 2003
ADOPTED, this ~ day of ~V N E , 2002
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MA
ATTEST:
Para, City Clerk
SPONSOR:
CO-SPONSOR:
RECEIVED
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