COCONINO COUNTY — At their regular meeting on Tuesday, June 13, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors (Board) voted unanimously to officially recognize and celebrate Juneteenth in Coconino County.
Juneteenth, celebrated annually on June 19, is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery. On this date in 1865, Union soldiers landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the upwards of 250,000 Black Americans still enslaved in the state were free by executive decree. Since then, Juneteenth has marked the celebration of Black American freedom and the subsequent achievements within the culture while encouraging continuous opportunities and access to equitable advancement, education, and progress for all.