Dear Neighbor,
Today we celebrate Juneteenth and Father’s Day! I want to wish everyone a Happy Juneteenth and wish all the fathers, grandfathers, stepdads and father figures in our lives a Happy Father’s Day! Please remember that tomorrow is a federal holiday so government offices will be closed.
Juneteenth:
Juneteenth has been celebrated annually around the country since 1865, when a Union General arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved African Americans that the Confederacy had lost the war and that they were free, as set forth in the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln two years earlier. It was not until last year, that President Biden signed into law legislation that would make Juneteenth a federal holiday, in order to commemorate emancipation in the United States.
On the occasion of Juneteenth, President Biden asked that “we recommit ourselves to the work of equity, equality, and justice.” I hope you will join me in recognizing the racial injustices our city and society continue to grapple with and recommit ourselves to the work of equity, equality, and justice as we also join together to celebrate hope, progress, and liberation.
Father’s Day:
As we also celebrate Father’s Day today, we recognize all of the hardworking and committed fathers and father figures in our communities. Whether a dad, stepdad, uncle or grandfather, your legacy lives on through every child and adult who you have ever nurtured, mentored, spent time with, or loved. Today we celebrate you! Father’s Day may be difficult for some of us and particularly hard to celebrate in the event of personal losses of fathers who are no longer with us. I hope you feel the comfort of friends and neighbors and we join you in honoring memories and relationships that you value.
I want to wish a special Happy Father’s Day to my own dad, James Pinto, who I can always count on for a positive spirit, an ability to see the big picture, and who taught me the importance of showing up for your community. I love you, Dad!
In all your celebrations today, I wish you a joyous Juneteenth National Independence Day and Father’s Day!
Yours in service,
Brooke
