News Release
Juneteenth Celebration and Commemorative Event
For immediate release: 06/06/2023, 2:30 p.m.
Valdez, AK – On June 19, 2023, the City of Valdez will host a Juneteenth celebration and commemorative event that will include a reading of the City proclamation in recognition of the Juneteenth federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
The City of Valdez welcomes and encourages community members to attend this celebration beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the Valdez Consortium Library. The schedule of events includes family-friendly activities, a 2.5-mile walk representing the formerly enslaved people's walk into Galveston, Texas, and a celebratory event with hotdogs and refreshments. The reading of the City’s proclamation will be done by Bobby and Diane Gibbs, Valdez residents for 43 years. This opportunity is for participants to educate and reflect upon the nation's history and celebrate freedom, justice, and equity for African Americans.
City of Valdez Juneteenth Celebration and Commemorative Event
When: Monday, June 19, 5 p.m.
Where: Valdez Consortium Library
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and his Union troops landed in Galveston, Texas, to announce that the Civil War had ended. He brought and read a proclamation declaring that all enslaved people were free. This news came over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The first celebration of Juneteenth took place a year later in Texas, and today is recognized across the country as an important milestone in our nation’s history. More than 200 cities nationwide now host Juneteenth celebrations to promote knowledge and appreciation of Black American resilience, culture, and history.
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Contact: Ana Stroup, communications director, 907.834.3400 or astroup@valdezak.gov