NATIONAL JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN
NATIONAL JUNETEENTH OBSERVANCE FOUNDATION (NJOF)
NATIONAL JUNETEENTH CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP COUNCIL (NJCLC)
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF JUNETEENTH JAZZ PRESENTERS (NAJJP)
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Chairman
P.O. Box 269
Belzoni, Mississippi 39038
662-247-3364 662-247-4767 Fax
www.NationalJuneteenth.com www.JuneteenthAlaskaALCAN.com
June 1, 2011
The Honorable Leon Panetta
Secretary of Defense
United States of America
1000 Defense PNT
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Dear Secretary Panetta:
The "19th of June", Juneteenth Independence Day, is now being celebrated on military bases across the country and around the
world. Military personnel on many of these bases have contacted me about their patriotic celebrations and the desire to
display Juneteenth Flags at their celebrations.
Juneteenth, the "19th of June", recognizes June 19, 1865, in Galveston, TX, when Union General Gordon Granger announced
freedom for all slaves in the Southwest. This was the last major vestige of slavery in the United States following the end
of the Civil War. This occurred more than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President
Abraham Lincoln. Upon the reading of General Order #3 by General Granger, the former slaves celebrated jubilantly,
establishing America's second Independence Day Celebration and the oldest African-American holiday observance.
Juneteenth is now recognized as a state holiday or state holiday observance in 39 states. These states include Texas,
Oklahoma, Florida, Delaware, Idaho, Alaska, Iowa, California, Wyoming, Missouri, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, New
Jersey, New York, Colorado, Arkansas, Oregon, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, Virginia, Washington, Tennessee, Massachusetts,
North Carolina, West Virginia, South Carolina, Vermont, Nebraska, Ohio, Kansas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Mississippi, Georgia,
Maine and Nevada. In 2003, the District of Columbia passed legislation to recognize Juneteenth as a district holiday
observance. Many more states, including Utah, Alabama, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Montana, and Maryland have
recognized Juneteenth through annual state legislative resolutions and Gubernatorial Proclamations.
In 1997, during the 105th Congress, a historic joint Juneteenth Resolution was passed by the Congress of the United States
through Senate Joint Resolution 11, introduced by Senator Trent Lott (R-MS), and House Joint Resolution 56, introduced by
Congressman J. C. Watts, Jr. (R-OK), recognizing the "19th of June" as Juneteenth Independence Day in America. In
2007, 109th Congress, through the unanimous passage of H. Con. Res. 231 by the House of Representatives and the unanimous
passage of S. Res. 516 by the U.S. Senate, we are hopeful that President Obama will finally issue a Juneteenth Independence
Day Proclamation.recognizing Juneteenth as a National Holiday Observance.
I would like to schedule a meeting with you, at your earliest convenience, to present you with an official Juneteenth Flag,
discuss the patriotic symbolism of freedom the flag represents and to personally express our appreciation for all that has
been done to continue to support Juneteenth Celebrations on military bases throughout America and around the world.
I have three sons in the military, two of whom have served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of my sons
traveled with me to Canada on Memorial Day to honor the African American Army Engineers who built the Alaska Alcan Highway.
These courageous soldiers are credited with ending segregation in the U.S. military when they completed the building of the
Sikanni Chief River Bridge on October 28, 1942, against great odds.
Meeting with you and
presenting you with a Juneteenth Flag will be of great inspiration to the thousands of military personal who sacrificially
and courageously serve our country to fight for freedom.
Thank you for your consideration of this important patriotic matter. I look forward to meeting with you soon.
Sincerely,
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D.
Founder & Chairman
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