Montgomery County Council Recognizes and Celebrates Juneteenth
Per Montgomery County:
Rockville, Md., June 18, 2021— The Montgomery County Council issued the following statement in recognition and celebration of Juneteenth on Saturday, June 19 and its designation as a national holiday:
“The Council commends President Biden and Congress for designating Juneteenth as a national holiday. While Montgomery County has been commemorating Juneteenth in our community for many years, recognizing the significance of June 19, 1865, at the federal level formally acknowledges the inhumanity and immorality of slavery across our nation and serves as a reminder of the continued fight for racial equity and social justice.
“Our country’s history of slavery established the foundation for hundreds of years of discrimination, financial inequity, health disparities and systemic racism for African Americans in the United States that continues to this day. While we are encouraged that Juneteenth is a new federal holiday, we also know there is much more work to do.
“Racial equity and social justice are what we strive to achieve in Montgomery County. We memorialized this commitment through our Racial Equity and Social Justice Act which was spearheaded by Councilmember Navarro and unanimously enacted in 2019. This seminal law guides our work across County government to meet the needs of all residents. The Council also declared racism a public health crisis through a Council resolution initiated by Councilmember Jawando in 2020.
“We hope this new federal holiday will inspire Montgomery County residents to learn more about Juneteenth and to work toward creating a more equitable and just society.”
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Montgomery County Government offices are closed on Friday, June 18, 2021, in observance of Juneteenth.
On June 15, 2021, the Council issued a proclamation commemorating Juneteenth led by Councilmembers Will Jawando and Craig Rice. The proclamation presentation ceremony can be viewed here.
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