The proclamation, read aloud by Mayor La Rochelle Young, recognizes Juneteenth National Freedom Day as the most recognized African-American holiday observance in the United States, noting it has been observed for more than 160 years.
The proclamation says Juneteenth commemorates the day freedom was proclaimed to all slaves in the south by Union General Granger on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It was officially recognized as Juneteenth Independence Day by the President and Congress of the United States on June 17, 2021.
The proclamation also notes that Americans of all backgrounds share a common love of and respect for freedom, and that Juneteenth, alongside the Fourth of July, completes what it calls the cycle of freedom for America's Independence Day observances.
Atchison's annual celebration of Juneteenth, marking 20-years since it began in 2006, will happen over three days later this month.
The three-day event runs Friday through Sunday, June 12th through the 14th, under the theme "United We Stand," with much of the activity again planned at the city's LFM Park, which has undergone an overhaul since last year's celebration.
The Kansas Department of Commerce recently completed a final monitoring visit for the improvement project, determining the city is in full compliance with state and federal requirements. The letter stating that, dated May 22nd, was included in Monday's Atchison City Commission agenda packet.
The project, funded through a Community Development Block Grant, reached approximately one hundred percent of construction activity after 33 months. According to the monitoring report, the project benefited 319 persons in the target area, with more than 84-percent classified as low or moderate income individuals. Improvements include installation of a splash pad, picnic pavilion, basketball court lighting, and accessibility enhancements.
The city had requested and expended more than $412,000 of the $414,380 dollars in grant funds allocated to the project.
