Juneteenth message from Mayor Ward

Press release from City of Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward released the following statement today:

As our nation commemorates Juneteenth, we take time to observe our local history. People enslaved in the State of Florida were officially freed on May 20, 1865. To mark that date, and place it in the wave of emancipations that ended one month later in Galveston, Texas, we observe in our great city a Journey to Juneteenth . It has been one full month of celebration, experience, and reflection that has connected and educated our community.

Many consider Juneteenth to be our nation’s second independence day. It has gained much national recognition since President Biden signed a bill making it a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. The City of Gainesville is among the first municipalities in our state to codify Juneteenth as a paid holiday for our employees. This is one more way we stand together. As a City, we are fighting injustice, operationalizing equity, and committing to transformational inclusion in Gainesville and beyond.

The hope and strength of the human spirit is awe-inspiring. Juneteenth symbolizes that bend in the road, the turn of a page, the transformation of struggle into triumph.

Join me today in honoring that journey.

Harvey

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