Walz Issues Proclamation Recognizing June 19th as Juneteenth Freedom Day in MN

Governor Tim Walz issued a proclamation today to officially recognize June 19th as Juneteenth Freedom Day in the state of Minnesota to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Gov. Walz is also calling on the legislature to work with the community to establish a state holiday recognizing Juneteenth.

“It took more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed for news of freedom to reach enslaved African-Americans in Texas,” said Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. “Juneteenth is both a celebration and a reminder that justice does not come in one action nor is it quick. It is the work we must never stop doing.”

The proclamation noted the significance of this year’s Juneteenth Freedom Day, coming on the 100th commemoration of the lynching of Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie on June 15, 1920 in Duluth, as well as the killing of George Floyd on May 25th of this year.