PROCLAMATION
OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION
WHEREAS, Black lives matter; and
WHEREAS, racial oppression is deeply rooted in our nation’s early beginnings — from the
mass exploitation of Native American populations to the enslavement of Black
Americans — and acknowledging this checkered past is essential to healing and
creating a more equitable future; and
WHEREAS, on January 1, 1863, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared
“that all persons held as slaves...are, and henceforward shall be free”; and
WHEREAS, news and enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation did not reach Texas
until June 19, 1865, two and one half years later – when Major General Gordon
Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and
that the enslaved were now free; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth (June 19
th
) is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the
ending of slavery in the United States; and
WHEREAS, in 2003, Port employee Lilyian Caswell-Isley, former Director of Social
Responsibility, led the first celebration of Juneteenth at the Port, and through the
leadership of Blacks in Government, the Port continues to celebrate Juneteenth
annually; and
WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle Commission has a social responsibility to combat systemic
racism and racism in all its nefarious forms, and work to contribute to a more
equitable and just world; and
WHEREAS, the Century Agenda Goal 5 calls for the Port to “Become a Model for Equity,
Diversity and Inclusion;” and
WHEREAS, in 2019 the Port established an Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to
address institutional racism and increase equity, diversity, and inclusion in Port
policies, processes, and programs; and