The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors presented members of the Santa Maria-Lompoc Branch of the NAACP with a resolution on Tuesday proclaiming June 19 as Juneteenth in Santa Barbara County.
Juneteenth is a celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, but slaves in Texas did not learn of their freedom until two years later on June 19, 1865.
Texas was the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday in 1979. In 2021, Congress passed a resolution establishing Juneteenth as a national holiday.
"It means a lot to us because we have come a long ways and most of us are from the South, so we know what it feels like and to learn about Juneteenth and what it meant to us," said Angie Bolden, Executive Board Member of the Santa Maria-Lompoc Branch of the NAACP.
To learn more about the work of the Santa Maria-Lompoc Branch of the NAACP and to get involved, visit their website.
