COLORADO SPRINGS — Mayor of Colorado Springs, Yemi Mobolade, joined city council members on Tuesday to sign a proclamation designating June 19 to be recognized by the city as Juneteenth.
Mobolade said in a tweet that the day "works to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture."
As a great start to my Council experience, together we issued a Juneteenth proclamation for June 19, 2023. Juneteenth celebrates Black freedom and works to promote and cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture. pic.twitter.com/HmtWuZuUD5
— Mayor Yemi (@MayorofCOS) June 13, 2023
Colorado Springs' America the Beautiful Park will be host to a free Juneteenth Festival from Friday to Sunday. The event will have live music, educational events, and competitions. The full schedule can be seen on the event's website. Mobolade encouraged attendance at this year's festivities in his tweet thread.
About Juneteenth:
Juneteenth, officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, recognizes and celebrates the 1865 emancipation of enslaved African American people in Texas, the final state of the Civil War Confederacy to learn of the emancipation proclamation.
About Emancipation:
This proclamation was formally issued in 1863, and emancipation was initially declared in Washington, D.C. in 1862. April 16, Emancipation Day, recognizes the latter.
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