Res. No.
Resolution recognizing the history of Juneteenth and affirming the City of New York’s commitment to upholding the legacy of Juneteenth as a day of hope and celebration
By Council Member Williams
Whereas, Following the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860, seven Southern states seceded from the Union in fear that slavery as an institution in their states was under threat; and
Whereas, Forces of the Confederacy of seceded states fired the opening shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, marking the start of an armed rebellion set on preserving chattel slavery in the American South; and
Whereas, Four additional Southern states joined the Confederacy in 1861, following the Battle of Fort Sumter; and
Whereas, After the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam, President Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, announcing his intention to free all enslaved people in the rebelling states of the Confederacy on January 1, 1863, should the rebels not surrender by that date; and
Whereas, The Confederate rebellion did not end by New Year’s Day of 1863; and
Whereas, On the night of December 31, 1862, free and enslaved Black Americans across the country gathered and stayed awake waiting for the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect, an observance that became known as Watch Night service or “Freedom’s Eve”; and
Whereas, On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, officially known as Proclamation 95, legally freeing all enslaved people held in the 10 states still in rebellion; and
Whereas, As Union forces advanced into the Confederate states, Union soldiers marched onto Southern plantations and brought freedom to the enslaved, though freedom did not come immediately for all, as many of those in Confederate-controlled territories remained in bondage until Union forces arrived; and
Whereas, Texas was the last Confederate state to be entered by the Union army; and
Whereas, On June 19, 1865, over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, freeing the more than 250,000 enslaved people in the last Confederate holdout; and
Whereas, Chattel slavery was constitutionally abolished across the United States with the certification of the 13th Amendment on December 18, 1865, freeing the remaining enslaved people held in the border states of Delaware and Kentucky, which did not rebel and to which the Emancipation Proclamation did not apply; and
Whereas, On June 19, 1866, exactly one year after Union troops began enforcing the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas, Black freedmen organized the first Jubilee Day, which was a day of celebration, prayer, and solidarity and would later evolve into the Juneteenth holiday; and
Whereas, Early celebrations of Juneteenth centered around the Black oral tradition, live testimonials, music, food, and voter registration events; and
Whereas, Juneteenth traditions spread across the country during the Great Migration, when Black Southerners moved north and west in the 20th century; and
Whereas, Celebrations of Juneteenth have often faced repression, especially during the Jim Crow era, when racist laws and threats of racial violence prevented the gathering of Black Americans in public spaces; and
Whereas, The Black community resisted, often by moving celebrations into Black churches, where congregations could safely sing, pray, and honor the past; and
Whereas, On January 1, 1980, Texas became the first state to recognize Juneteenth as an official state holiday, with every other state and the District of Columbia later following suit and recognizing Juneteenth in various official ways; and
Whereas, Juneteenth became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law; and
Whereas, Over the years, Juneteenth celebrations in New York City (NYC) have evolved from small gatherings to major citywide events; and
Whereas, The Anti Racism Working Group of Culture@3, a weekly discussion forum for the leaders of NYC’s nonprofit cultural institutions, has been instrumental in supporting NYC arts and cultural organizations in putting on Juneteenth events for the past three years; and
Whereas, The Louis Armstrong House Museum annually gathers and publicizes the commemorative events of NYC’s arts and cultural community, noting that “Juneteenth is a day to reflect on the past and look to the future, with action today”; and
Whereas, The Juneteenth NYC 2026 festival will offer in-person and virtual events from June 18 to June 20, 2026; and
Whereas, A Juneteenth celebration will be held in historic Seneca Village on June 19, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., featuring an “intergenerational community of performers”; and
Whereas, A Juneteenth event will also be held at Rockefeller Park at 11:30 a.m., featuring the Federation of Black Cowboys “as they share history, horsemanship and riding”; and
Whereas, Additional community events are expected to be held in continuing the tradition of gathering, reflection, and song; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York recognizes the history of Juneteenth and affirms the City of New York’s commitment to upholding the legacy of Juneteenth as a day of hope and celebration.
LS 24666
6/8/2026