Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf | Governor Tom Wolf/Wikimedia Commons
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf | Governor Tom Wolf/Wikimedia Commons
In celebration of Juneteenth, Gov. Tom Wolf hosted the Governor’s Advisory Commission on African American Affairs on June 21 at his residence in Harrisburg, two days after the commemorative holiday called “Juneteenth National Freedom Day.”
A release by Wolf explained that on June 19, 2019, he signed legislation designating Juneteenth National Freedom Day. In 2021 it was also made a federal holiday. The day commemorates June 19, 1865, when the union soldiers marked the end of the Civil War when reaching the furthest part of the south in Galveston, Texas. People who were slaves were not aware they had been freed more than two years before this, unknowing of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abe Lincoln, or about the surrender of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee two months prior.
Wolf said that Juneteenth marks the actual day slavery truly ended in the U.S., as opposed to the formal proclamation two years earlier.
“The fight for true freedom for all in America certainly didn’t end with the emancipation proclamation. It didn’t end with women’s suffrage,” Wolf said. “It didn’t end with the civil rights movement. This is an important piece of our history – how many Americans have been marginalized and forced to fight for their rights. When we celebrate Juneteenth, we honor that history, and we honor all of the people who have stood up, time and time again, to demand that our nation live up to the ideals inherent in the Declaration of Independence: freedom, liberty and equality for all.”
Commission Executive Director LaDeshia Maxwell said that she and the rest of the commission are proud of the work that the Wolf Administration has done to educate residents about Juneteenth and honor the holiday.
“We encourage everyone no matter your race and ethnic background to attend a local Juneteenth event, so we can continue to build a commonwealth and nation that accurately depicts history, acknowledges our wrongs, and seeks ways to foster and build equity and fairness for all Pennsylvanians – now and in the future,” Maxwell said.
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