(The following information was provided by the Montgomery County Office of Communications.)
Montgomery County officials hosted the County’s third annual Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony on Tuesday before a crowd of nearly 100 people outside the Courthouse. The Juneteenth flag commemorates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Americans in the Confederate states learned of the freedoms granted to them by the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.
Montgomery County Office of Communications “As an African American woman and the first Black Woman to hold this position in Montgomery County, it is personally important to emphasize why we raise this flag and celebrate this holiday,” said Jamila H. Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “If it was not for the events leading to June 19, 1865, I would not be standing here.”
During the ceremony, Honorable A. Nicole Tate-Phillips and Honorable Hakim K. Jones—judges in the County Common Pleas Court and County Magisterial District Court, respectively—read the Emancipation Proclamation, the decree issued during the Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln to formally end slavery in the United States.
“Not every county in Pennsylvania is recognizing Juneteenth,” said Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija. “What this says about us here in Montgomery County is that we are taking a moment to recognize our country's history: where we've been, where we are today, and where we still have a long way to go.”
Montgomery County Office of Communications Montgomery County’s Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Donna L. Richemond, also recognized the winners of this year’s Art and Prose of Freedom Youth Contest, which invited Montgomery County K-12 students to submit artwork, prose, or poetry related to the theme, “Hope for a Brighter Tomorrow.”
The office of State Representative Matt Bradford also presented a state proclamation recognizing Montgomery County’s Juneteenth celebration.
Montgomery County Office of Communications Residents are encouraged to attend additional Juneteenth celebrations, including the Norristown Juneteenth Jubilee and special programs around Montgomery County. The Centre Theater in Norristown will also host a weeklong Juneteenth celebration on June 19, 22, and 23, with unique, educational programming at its Charles L. Blockson Exhibition.
County offices will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, in observance of the federal Juneteenth holiday.
