City of Rochester News Release -- Juneteenth Flag Raised at City Hall
(Friday, June 14, 2019) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren raised the official Juneteenth flag at a ceremony this morning, marking the very first time the flag has flown at City Hall to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday. The flag will fly until June 19.
“Juneteenth is a very significant occasion in our country that deserves to be fully recognized,” said Mayor Warren. “It is a celebration of the abolishment of slavery, it symbolizes freedom and liberation, and it is the day when African Americans truly received their independence. I’m proud to fly this flag at City Hall, so that those who currently face discrimination and oppression will be reminded that the fight continues for justice, freedom and equality for all people.”
The City of Rochester is one of the first - - if not THE first - - public entity in the Rochester area to fly the official Juneteenth flag.
Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom and commemorates the liberation of African Americans from slavery in the United States. The holiday recognizes the June 19,1865 date when slaves in Texas finally received word that slavery had been abolished - - a full two months after the end of the Civil War and two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
The request to fly the flag at City Hall was initiated by a citizen, Gloria Johnson-Hovey, who organizes an annual Juneteenth 5K run at Genesee Valley Park. The City of Rochester obtained the official flag from the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, located in Belzoni, Mississippi.
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News Media: For more information, contact Press Officer Jessica Alaimo, 428-7135.