Gadsden City Council approves Juneteenth as official holiday in city
The Gadsden City Council held its weekly meeting Tuesday, with Juneteenth being approved as a holiday in the city.
More: Activist raises questions after he's denied place on Gadsden Council agenda
More: Committee calls for Juneteenth city holiday this year, look at overtime loophole
The holiday will be June 19 each year; this year, the holiday will fall on a Sunday and thus will be observed the next day.
Juneteenth celebrates the freeing of slaves in the United States at the end of the Civil War.
"The resolution reads, 'In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring all slaves free,'" Gadsden City Council President Dr. Cynthia Toles said. "'This freedom was not made known to many enslaved African Americans until two years after its passage. Juneteenth recognizes that on June 19, 1865, the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were informed that slavery had been abolished.
"'Whereas Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States and is a day to be marked with celebration, reflection, inspiration and encouragement for the future,'" Toles continued. "'Whereas on June 17, 2021, President (Joe) Biden declared Juneteenth to be a national holiday, and on June 18, 2021, Governor Kay Ivey declared Juneteenth to be a recognized holiday in the state of Alabama.
"'Whereas in recognition and appreciation of the many ways in which the history and culture of African Americans have contributed to the history, culture and social fabric of the city of Gadsden, to provide a mechanism for our community to better understand the experiences that have shaped our country, the council finds that it is appropriate to establish Juneteenth as a city holiday,'" Toles concluded.
The resolution passed with unanimous approval from all seven council members.
Councilman Deverick Williams from District 2 was appreciative of the council and Mayor Sherman Guyton for supporting the Juneteenth resolution. He also stressed that the council and mayor's office offered no resentment or opposition to the resolution.
"Juneteenth is important," Williams said. "I will say this as plainly and as in as civil a manner as I can – this country is a great nation but we have an ugly history relative to race relations; this state has an even worse history as it relates to race relations.
"I'm always excited when, even if its just a mid-sized municipality in the northeastern part of the state, (a place) steps up and says, 'Thank you for being a part of our state. Thank you for being a part of our history. Thank you for being a part of our culture,'" Williams continued. "Even a gesture such as this is important. That's all many African Americans are asking for, to recognize our contributions, recognize that we're part of this state's history, even the ugliness of it."
Other notable business included the first reading of an ordinance to change the polling places for municipal elections in several districts. District 1B will move to the East Gadsden Community Center, District 4A to The Venue at Coosa Landing and Districts 6A and 7A to Dwight Baptist Church.
Gadsden resident and neighborhood watch coordinator Glenda Jackson unveiled a banner at the meeting that will hang in the Gadsden Police Department in honor of National Police Week this week.
State Rep. Gil Isbell, R-Gadsden, said he worked with Ivey to mark May 15 as Peace Officer's Memorial Day in remembrance of police officers killed in the line of duty and in honor of current police officers.
In addition, Gadsden Police Chief Lamar Jaggears was presented with a plaque on behalf of the council and mayor's office in honor of National Police Week.
J.J. Hicks is a news reporter at The Gadsden Times. He can be reached at jhicks1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Gadsden City Council business includes approving Juneteenth holiday
