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PROCLAMATION4
OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION 5
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WHEREAS, Black lives matter; and8
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WHEREAS, Racial oppression is deeply rooted in our nation’s early beginnings — from the10
mass exploitation of Native American populations to the enslavement of Black 11
Americans — and acknowledging this checkered past is essential to healing and 12
creating a more equitable future; and 13
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WHEREAS, On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared15
“that all persons held as slaves...are, and henceforward shall be free”; and 16
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WHEREAS, News and enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation did not reach Texas18
until June 19, 1865, two and one half years later,–when Major General Gordon 19
Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended 20
and that the enslaved were now free; and21
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WHEREAS, Juneteenth (June 19
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) is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the23
ending of slavery in the United States; and 24
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WHEREAS, In 2003, Port employee Lilyian Caswell-Isley, former Director of Social26
Responsibility, led the first celebration of Juneteenth at the Port, and through 27
the leadership of Blacks in Government, the Port continues to celebrate 28
Juneteenth annually; and 29
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WHEREAS, The Port of Seattle Commission has a social responsibility to combat systemic31
racism and racism in all its nefarious forms, and work to contribute to a more 32
equitable and just world; and 33
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WHEREAS, The Century agenda Goal 5 calls for the Port to “Become a Model for Equity,35
Diversity and Inclusion”; and 36
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WHEREAS, In 2019 the Port established an Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to38
address institutional racism and increase equity, diversity, and inclusion in Port 39
policies, processes, and programs; and 40
Item Number: 4a
Meeting Date: November 17, 2020
WHEREAS, The official recognition of Juneteenth as a Port Holiday is a significant way that
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we can celebrate freedom, help create a culture of belonging, and a more
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equitable, anti-racist Port culture,
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NOW, THEREFORE, the Port of Seattle Commission hereby honors and recognizes
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Juneteenth, the 19th of June each year, as an official Port Holiday for non-represented
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employees, and one of the many ways we celebrate our rich African-American cultural heritage,
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acknowledge our history of institutional racism and slavery, demonstrate that Black lives matter,
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and advance racial equity.
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Proclaimed by the Port of Seattle Commission this 17
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Day of November 2020.
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