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Proclamation
Declaring June 19 at “Juneteenth Day”
In the City of Hastings, Minnesota
WHEREAS, the President and Congress of the United States have declared a national holiday to
commemorate the day (June 19, 1865) when Union General Gordon Granger and a contingent of Union soldiers
brought news of emancipation to Galveston, Texas; and
WHEREAS, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act of June 17, 2021, amends the Federal
Code to establish a paid holiday for all federal workers on “Juneteenth Independence Day;” and
WHEREAS, the State of Minnesota also declares June 19 as a state holiday and the City
of Hastings, Minnesota wishes to join the national and state governments in setting aside a day for the
commemoration of liberty and equality for all citizens; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Council support the Hastings community’s participation in
the national conversation focusing on dismantling the systemic obstacles that impede our progress towards
racial equity and social justice; and
WHEREAS, by embracing Juneteenth as a holiday, we encourage community reflection about what
unites us and can promote racial understanding and healing; and
WHEREAS, organizations like Building Remembrance for Reconciliation and the Dakota County
Historical Society are actively engaged in promoting reconciliation through activities, including efforts to build
a memorial commemorating Hastings’ early African Methodist Episcopal Church Brown’s Chapel and its
congregation and to establish a Black Heritage Trail through Hastings; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Mary Fasbender, and the Hastings City Council
hereby declares June 19 as “Juneteenth Day” every year in the City of Hastings and encourage city employees
and all citizens to actively participate in dialogue and community events to promote the culture of belonging
that was General Granger’s aspiration 159 years ago.
_____________________
Mary D. Fasbender, Mayor