This year, the City of Seattle is commemorating Juneteenth as an official city holiday for the first time in its history.
This is the outcome of legislation introduced in December by Councilmember Tammy J. Morales (District 2 – South Seattle & C-ID).
While Juneteenth has been commemorated with festivities across Seattle for decades, this ordinance made it a legal holiday.
As a result, a large number of city, state, and private employees will be off tomorrow. Councilmember Morales is urging Seattle residents to use this opportunity to consider the long-term effects of slavery on our culture and institutions.
“As the sponsor of this legislation, it’s my hope that our city workforce and our community will take this time to acknowledge the disturbing role that slavery has played in shaping our institutions throughout the country,” said Councilmember Morales.
“This unpaid, forced labor has generated billions of dollars of generational wealth for non-black communities, and it still shapes the country today.”
“Last month, I had the honor of joining the National African American Reparations Commission to discuss how we build a culture of repair in our city.
“While I’m proud of sponsoring the legislation that allows the City of Seattle to begin down that path by establishing the holiday to commemorate Juneteenth, I know that we have a lot of work to do to move toward true reparations for our Black neighbors.”
On her social media accounts, @CMTammyMorales, Councilmember Morales has posted information about Juneteenth events taking place throughout the city.