Community leaders commemorated the Juneteenth holiday by reflecting on the progress made since the end of slavery in 1865 and urging people to continue the fight for equality and justice.
SALT LAKE CITY — Betty Sawyer remembers when the Juneteenth celebration in Utah expanded to Ogden more than two decades ago after organizers forgot to reserve a park in Salt Lake City.
Sawyer was one of several community leaders who spoke during a celebration of Juneteenth at the Salt Lake County Government Center on Friday. The holiday, which is observed Monday, marks the anniversary of when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to deliver the message that the U.S. was under Union control and all remaining slaves must be freed.
The Rev. Stanley Ellington quoted a famous passage from Ecclesiastes that says: "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens." Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill likened Juneteenth to Independence Day, calling it a "second independence" for those who were "forgotten in our first independence and neglected in the equality that was promised."
"While is a reminder of emancipation, it also tells us the need to continue the struggle for equality," Gill said. "Freedom, justice, equality, fairness and truth are ideals that you need continuous vigilance, continuous effort, continuous advocacy to achieve this promise."
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