The time is now to celebrate and commemorate America’s other Independence Day—Juneteenth, which officially ended the brutal chattel slavery in the U.S. While America celebrates the Fourth of July to honor America's independence from Great Britain, the United States continued to deny freedom to enslaved Africans for almost another 100 years.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day that Union soldiers entered Texas to declare the end of the Civil War and freedom for enslaved people. Though Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect January 1, 1863, the executive order was not enforced in Texas until the Juneteenth arrival of Union soldiers.

Juneteenth is a day that honors Black freedom, achievement, and resistance, as well as centers Black people's unique contributions to the struggle for justice in the U.S. Juneteenth also provides an important opportunity for self-reflection on the systemic injustices that our city still faces today.  Acknowledging Juneteenth is a first step in reconciliation and healing that our city needs in order to ensure equity for all people.  As such, we believe it should be a widely celebrated and recognized holiday in Greenville, SC.

Sign the petition: Make Juneteenth a holiday in the City of Greenville.