The Webster Groves City Council on July 6 approved a resolution declaring Juneteenth as an official city holiday.
Juneteenth, celebrated June 19, marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 â two-and-one-half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation â to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people would be freed.
Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest running African American holiday. On June 17 of this year, it officially became a federal holiday.Â
City Manager Marie Peoples, who is African American, read the resolution.
Earlier that night during a council work session, Peoples said the city had recently received a copy of a letter that a resident had found in a family memberâs belongings.