Washington County Juneteenth Celebrations Get Off To Early Start

HILLSBORO, OR — Washington County officials raised the Juneteenth flag over the county's Pubic Services Building Monday as part of its first-ever celebration of the day considered by many to be Black Independence Day.

Juneteenth is celebrated as an official county holiday for the first time Monday (the actual day falls on a Sunday this year). The flag will be removed Tuesday.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers told enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, that the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln two years earlier freed them. Texas was the last state of the former Confederacy with institutionalized slavery.

The county's Board of Commissioners voted in November to make Juneteenth a paid county holiday.

"Observance of Juneteenth honors the legacy of those who received the joyous news on that unforgettable day in Galveston," Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington said in a news release. "It also provides an opportunity for all community members to reflect on the historical significance of Juneteenth and our continuing efforts to eliminate institutional racism and advance equity and inclusion for all people."

The county also passed a resolution last week celebrating the importance of the day.

"These cultural celebrations offer the opportunity to enter into and strengthen relationships with county's diverse and growing communities," Washington County Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Latricia Tillman said. "The day represents resilience and a recognition of a more complete history of the pathway to freedom in the United States."