Juneteenth flag raised at Fresno City Hall. ‘It’s about a new day,’ says deputy mayor
Celebrations for Juneteenth, marking the end of slavery after the Civil War, continued in Fresno on Monday with a flag raising ceremony at City Hall.
Juneteenth, which has been celebrated since the late 1800s, commemorates the date enslaved African Americans in Texas were informed of their freedom by a Union general. President Joe Biden signed legislation last year making it a new federal holiday.
In describing the holiday, Fresno Deputy Mayor Matthew Grundy said, “It’s about restoration. It’s about a new day.”
“I know that I’ve lost personal inheritance due to racism,” Grundy said. “I know that I’ve seen best friends and families torn apart personally due to racism. I’ve experienced all these things, but I’m thankful for a new day like today. That we get to celebrate this day called Juneteenth, which in its origins was called Jubilee Day.”
Grundy was among a handful of speakers that included Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer and Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza.
The flag raising was part of the Fresno Juneteenth Festival, featuring numerous events over the past five days, including a parade through downtown Fresno on Saturday.
The festivities were scheduled to culminate with a finale celebration from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at the Cultural Arts District Park in downtown Fresno, hosted by the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce.
Despite the Emancipation Proclamation, slavery was continued in many parts of the United States after the Civil War, including by some people in California.
“This Juneteenth, I hope, will be a turning point, for our country’s declaration ‘that all men are created equal’ from being simply rhetoric to being intentional practice,” wrote Francine Oputa, a Fresno State director, in a recent column published by The Bee.
This story was originally published June 20, 2022 at 1:59 PM.
