FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Chairman
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC)
662-247-3364 662-247-1471
e-mail: JuneteenthDOC@yahoo.com
web sites: www.NationalJuneteenth.com
www.Juneteenth.us
www.njclc.com
www.JazzIndiana.net
www.JuneteenthJazz.com
Troy
Page
Ohio
Juneteenth Committee
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
614-577-1489
e-mail: tepage@aol.com
web
site: www.19thofJune.com
Ohio Makes 35 States to Recognize Juneteenth
Ohio U.S. Senators Urged to Support Juneteenth
Legislation in Congress
(Columbus, OH) - The state statutes in Ohio designate the
"19th of June" as Juneteenth National
Freedom Day, "to acknowledge the freedom, history, and
culture that June 19, 1865, the day on which the last slaves in the United
States were set free in Texas, has come to symbolize." This is great news
for Juneteenth supporters throughout the country.
"Ohio joins Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Delaware, Alaska, Idaho, Iowa,
California, Wyoming, Illinois, Missouri, Connecticut, Louisiana, New Jersey, New
York, Colorado, Arkansas, Oregon, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, Virginia,
Washington State, Tennessee, Massachusetts, North Carolina, West Virginia, South
Carolina, Vermont, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana and the
District of Columbia in recognizing the end of enslavement in America,"
states Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman of the
National Juneteeenth Holiday Campaign and the National
Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF).
Juneteenth commemorates the day when slaves in the last
geographic area in America where slavery existed learned of their freedom. This
took place on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, when Union General Gordon
Granger read General Order #3, announcing that "all slaves
are free" by Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln. The Emancipation Proclamation
was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, and issued on
January 1, 1863. It took over two and a half years for the news to travel to
southwest Texas.
Ohio Juneteenth supporters are urging recognition for
Juneteenth in congress. 2010 may be the year that
Juneteenth will be circled on calendars throughout the
country.
"Now that Juneteenth is a state holiday observance in
Ohio, I and other Juneteenth supporters in the state will
request that Sen. Sherrod Brown
(D-OH) and Sen. George
Voinovich (R-OH) co-sponsor legislation in the U.S. Senate to make
Juneteenth a National Day of Observance, that will be
introduced by lead sponsor Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL)," states Troy Page,
Director of the Ohio Juneteenth Holiday
Campaign.
"As more states like Ohio pass Juneteenth legislation,
we hope that President Barack
Obama will finally establish Juneteenth as a
National Holiday Observance by issuing a Presidential Proclamation,"
states Rev. Dr. Ronald V. Myers.
Thousands of petitions have been forwarded to the White
House urging President Obama to make Juneteenth a National Day
of Observance and to establish a Presidential National
Juneteenth Commission.
"The official recognition of
Juneteenth Independence
Day and the end of enslavement by state governments and congress
are very significant steps in bringing healing to America from the legacy of
enslavement," states Rev., Dr. Myers, also Chairman of the
National Juneteenth Christian Leadership Council (NJCLC) and
the Founder and Director of the National Day of Reconciliation & Healing From the
Legacy of Enslavement during the annual WASHINGTON JUNETEENTH
National Holiday Observance.
For information on the
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign, the National Day of Reconciliation &
Healing From the Legacy of Enslavement or the WASHINGTON
JUNETEENTH National Holiday Observance, contact Rev. Ronald V. Myers,
Sr., M.D. at 662-247-3364 or e-mail: JuneteenthDOC@yahoo.com or web sites:
www.njclc.com, www.Juneteenth.us, www.NationalJuneteenth.com, and www.19thofJune.com.
For information on the Ohio Juneteenth Holiday Campaign
contact Troy Page at 614-577-1489 or e-mail: tepage@aol.com.