‘How far we have come’: Juneteenth flag raised in Fresno
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery in the United States.
It was an emotional and joyous day for so many, as celebrations broke out all over the country. All as others say it provides a reminder of how much work the nation has left to do for true equality, 159 years after the last slaves were freed in Texas in 1865, two and a half years after 1863’s Emancipation Proclamation.
A mix of those exact feelings was seen at the third-ever Juneteenth flag raising at Fresno City Hall.
“So, on this June 19, in honor of this day in 1865, our freedom day, I stand 10 toes down in my ‘blackety black blackness’, as a revelation of just how far we have come,” said Kwamise Fletcher, a Fresno poet, and activist, who spoke at the podium.
Fletcher, or “LadyK”, was joined by activists, black community leaders, and city officials, both past and present.
Those included Cynthia Sterling, the first black woman elected to the Fresno City Council in 2003, who was presented with this year’s Juneteenth proclamation.
Also at the podium, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said Juneteenth reminds everyone the past can never be forgotten.
“In my opinion, the greatest atrocity that ever occurred in America was that of slavery,” said Dyer. “A sin that will forever haunt the United States of America, and it should,” he said.
Juneteenth was made a federal holiday in 2021.
But one man in attendance, a Fresno native, and a member of the African American community, said its lack of “federal holiday” status never stopped him and his family from their own yearly celebrations.
Now he says, it’s all about educating others.
“Very few people knew about Juneteenth outside of the black community. Not a lot of people still fully understand or recognize the gravity,” said Fresno resident Varselles Cummings. “How we continue to move forward is continuing to educate ourselves not just the holiday but the impact that the institution of slavery has had on our country.”
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