Page 21 - Florida Sentinel 11-4-22

Local
Juneteenth Is Now An Official Holiday In City Of Tampa
The city of Tampa will now officially commemorate Juneteenth as a local holiday.
Several elected officials and mem- bers of the community, including the Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coalition at- tended the ceremony on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022.
The official declaration comes a year after Hillsborough County commission- ers unanimously voted to make June 19 a county holiday. Earlier in 2021, Pres- ident Joe Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.
"Juneteenth is the day we celebrate the end of slavery in America and pause to remember the struggle for freedom never ends," Tampa Mayor Jane Cas- tor said in a commemoration ceremony last week.
"By deeming this an official City of Tampa holiday, our employees can take the day to reflect and celebrate June- teenth with their families and friends. Now, this profoundly important day will forever be respected, revered, and remembered."
For the past three years, the City of
Mayor Jane Castor and other city leaders signed the official proclamation on Fri- day.
cause it had star players called ances- tors, who did not wait for the chance to score. They created a chance to score. Ancestors were put on blocks and sold like a bar of soap, but they never stopped singing. The names of our an- cestors were taken, but they never stopped singing. They sold mama to one state, and she sang there. They sold daddy to another state, and he sang there. They sold a child to yet another state, but the song never died. They changed the verse to our course, and as a result, we are now here singing the song and the day is being recognized as a holiday by the city. That song is.... FREEDOM!
“I am so grateful for City Council- man Orlando Gudes for helping to push this agenda! On behalf of myself and The Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coali- tion, there are not enough words to de- scribe our sincere gratitude to the city council and the city of Tampa for the support in backing our Mayor Jane Castor for signing the executive order to make Juneteenth a city holiday here in the city of Tampa.”
Tampa, Mayor Castor, and the Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coalition have hosted an annual Juneteenth flag-rais- ing ceremony and festival for both the public and city employees. The event in- cludes elected officials, religious lead- ers, community organizations, local vendors, artists, and musicians.
When asked about what it means for
Juneteenth to now be a holiday in the City of Tampa, Pastor Philetha Tucker-Johnson, President of the Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coalition shared this statement: “ELATED! We put in a lot of work and still have a way to go. We’re now pushing for the State!! Florida has not caught on yet!
“Juneteenth is a game changer be-
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