Those driving down Interstate 10 near downtown Tucson will see a special message in commemoration of Juneteenth.
On Friday, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero unveiled a "Black Lives Matter" banner hanging from the 10th floor, where her office is located. The banner is visible from the west side of the high-rise facing Interstate 10 and Sentinel Peak.
“Tucson stands in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters across the country in fighting the systemic racism that pervades our society at all levels,” Romero said in a statement. “We are here to support, listen, and learn from the Black Lives Matter movement and our community so that we can better effect change and work for meaningful reform that closes racial, economic and social inequities."
Juneteenth, short for June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. President Abraham Lincoln first issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862, and it became effective the following Jan. 1. But it wasn’t enforced in many places until after the Civil War ended in April 1865. Word didn’t reach the last enslaved Black people until June 19 of that year, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Galveston, Texas.
The long-time push to recognize the day as a federal holiday was renewed this year amid national conversations about racism. Those conversations were sparked by black lives matter protests around the globe, including in Tucson, spawned by the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota.
Romero said those behind the message include the Gloo Factory, SKYTEK Building Services, and City of Tucson Facilities and Communications Maintenance.
“Now, all Tucsonans as well as visitors driving along Interstate 10 will see loud and clear where Tucson stands in this historic moment," she said.
