Willimantic celebrates Juneteenth holiday

Jun. 17—WILLIMANTIC — The country has come a long way since federal troops informed slaves in Galveston, TX., of their freedom on June 19, 1865.

But today, 157 years later, there is still a lot of work to do, according to local officials.

" Today's date is June 17, 2022 and we're still fighting for equality and equity," Windham- Willimantic NAACP chapter vice president and Windham Town Council member Rodney Alexander Jr. said during an event outside town hall Thursday.

During the event, local officials raised the Juneteenth flag in recognition of the new state and federal holiday. President Joseph Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021, declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday.

The act was approved by the Senate on June 15, 2021 and by the House of Representatives on June 16, 2021. Gov. Ned Lamont signed Public Act 22- 128 into law on May 27, 2022, which makes Juneteenth a state holiday in Connecticut starting in 2023.

The holiday, which is also known as " Freedom Day" and " Emancipation Day," falls on Sunday this year. Texas was the last state in the nation to comply with the Emancipation Proclamation, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

State Rep. Susan Johnson, D- Willimantic, said she was proud to have voted to make Juneteenth a state holiday and was proud that Biden made it a federal holiday.

She said three years ago, the legislature passed a law to make sure schools were required to teach about the history of slavery.

Johnson said it was important for people to understand the " horror" that slaves went through.

" This Juneteenth day, making it national, making it a state ( holiday), is another way of educating the public," she said. She noted the problematic voting rights, noting that the Supreme Court " took away a lot of the voting rights."

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