Item Number:   4b 
Meeting Date:   May 25, 2021 

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4                                              PROCLAMATION 
5                                  OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION 
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8     WHEREAS,  Black lives matter; and 
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10    WHEREAS,  racial oppression is deeply rooted in our nation's early beginnings  from the
11                      mass exploitation of Native American populations to the enslavement of Black
12                      Americans  and acknowledging this checkered past is essential to healing and
13                      creating a more equitable future; and 
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15    WHEREAS, on January 1, 1863, President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation declared
16                      "that all persons held as slaves...are, and henceforward shall be free"; and
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18    WHEREAS, news and enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation did not reach Texas
19                      until June 19, 1865, two and one half years later  when Major General Gordon
20                      Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and
21                      that the enslaved were now free; and 
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23    WHEREAS, Juneteenth (June 19th) is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the
24                      ending of slavery in the United States; and 
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26    WHEREAS,  in  2003,  Port  employee  Lilyian  Caswell-Isley,  former  Director  of  Social
27                      Responsibility, led the first celebration of Juneteenth at the Port, and through the
28                      leadership of Blacks in Government, the Port continues to celebrate Juneteenth
29                      annually; and 
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31    WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle Commission has a social responsibility to combat systemic
32                      racism and racism in all its nefarious forms, and work to contribute to a more
33                      equitable and just world; and 
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35    WHEREAS, the Century Agenda Goal 5 calls for the Port to "Become a Model for Equity,
36                      Diversity and Inclusion;" and 
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38    WHEREAS, in 2019 the Port established an Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to
39                      address institutional racism and increase equity, diversity, and inclusion in Port
40                      policies, processes, and programs; and

41    WHEREAS,   the official recognition of Juneteenth as a Port Holiday is a significant way that
42                      we can celebrate freedom, help create a culture of belonging, and a more
43                      equitable, anti-racist Port culture. 
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45    NOW, THEREFORE,  the  Port  of  Seattle  Commission  hereby  honors  and  recognizes
46    Juneteenth, the 19th of June each year, as an official Port Holiday for all Port employees, and one
47    of the many ways we celebrate our rich African-American cultural heritage, acknowledge our
48    history of institutional racism and slavery, demonstrate that Black lives matter, and advance racial
49    equity. 
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51    Proclaimed by the Port of Seattle Commission this 19th day of May, 2021. 
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59    Port of Seattle Commission 
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71                                            Port of Seattle Commission 
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