Juneteenth celebration is planned
By Terry Murry on Friday, June 18th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – A Juneteenth celebration will be held tomorrow (Saturday) in Walla Walla, even though it won’t become a legal state holiday until 2022.
On June 9, the city council approved a proclamation officially recognizing the holiday. The vote was 5 to 2. Days later, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution establishing the day as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a holiday celebrating the emancipation of African-Americans.
June 19, 1865, is the date that news of the end of slavery reached Texas and other states in the southwest, formalizing their emancipation at the end of the War Between the States. That news came two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Saturday’s events include the Little Free Diverse Library Juneteenth ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. at Colville Street Patisserie, 40 S. Colville St. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. a celebration will be held at Washington Park, 700 W. Cherry St. and will feature a presentation, musical performance, children’s games, and free hot dogs for kids 9 and younger.
