Rockland Legislators Proclaim June 19 Juneteenth Day

From the Rockland Legislature

Ongoing nationwide protests against police brutality and the deaths of African Americans, including the murder of George Floyd, have boosted awareness in Juneteenth, a day that celebrates freedom.

Rockland County Legislature Chairman Alden H. Wolfe has proclaimed June 19 as Juneteenth Day in Rockland County, and Legislator Toney L. Earl will present the official Proclamation during a commemoration of the holiday organized by the Haverstraw African American Connection.

“This day has long been recognized by African Americans, but for both the wrong and the right reasons, it is gaining attention from so many other people,” Legislator Earl said. “There is a focus because of the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Aubrey and Breonna Taylor and so many other African Americans. There is also a focus because of the diverse crowds of people who are demanding permanent and far-reaching changes.”

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Its roots trace to Galveston, Texas, where on June 19, 1865 - more than two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - Union Major General Gordon Granger formally announced the executive orders that set all enslaved people free.

Black communities have celebrated the day ever since, including in Haverstraw, where a commemoration has taken place for many years, organized by Virginia Norfleet and others active with the Haverstraw African American Connection. The HAAC is devoted to researching, recovering, preserving and teaching the rich cultural heritage of African Americans, including those who worked in Rockland’s brickyards, where the bricks that helped build New York City were made.

“It is an honor to issue and sign this Proclamation because we are at a time and place in history where true systemic change can finally be implemented,” Legislator Wolfe said. “We must keep the momentum going and make these changes so that everyone in our country experiences equality in all endeavors.”

Legislator Earl said true change involves more than removing the pictures of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben from food packaging or taking "Gone with the Wind" out of a movie lineup.

“It involves access to health care, improved educational opportunities, training for jobs that allow parents to properly provide for their families, penal reform and more,” Legislator Earl said.

“We have seen a collective uprising of voices who are rejecting racism in all its forms and who are instead demanding real changes so that the freedom promised not only in President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, but in the Declaration of Independence itself, is finally a reality for African Americans, as well as all others,” Legislator Earl said.