06/10/2026
Mayor Foster Senn and members of City Council presented a Juneteenth proclamation last night to Councilperson Jackie Holmes, thanking her for bringing the event to the City of Newberry.
Holmes and Councilperson Carlton Kinard (far left) serve on the Juneteenth committee, helping to plan the city's annual event, being held this year on June 20.
The proclamation reads:
WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring the slaves in Confederate territory free, paving the way for the passing of the 13th Amendment which formally abolished slavery in the United States of America; and
WHEREAS, word about signing the Emancipation Proclamation was delayed some two and one half years, to June 19, 1865, in reaching authorities and African Americans in the South and Southwestern United States; and
WHEREAS, Emancipation Day observations are held on different days in different states in the South and Southwest, and in other parts of the nation; and
WHEREAS, June 19th has a special meaning to African Americans, and is called "JUNETEENTH" combining the words June and Nineteenth, and has been celebrated by the African American community for over 150 years; and
WHEREAS, the annual Juneteenth celebration in the City of Newberry will take place in downtown Newberry June 20, 2026.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Foster Senn, Mayor of the City of Newberry, South Carolina, do hereby declare June 19, 2026, as JUNETEENTH in the City of Newberry, South Carolina, and urge all citizens to become more aware of the significance of this celebration in African American History and in the heritage of our nation and city.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set our hand and caused the seal of the City of Newberry, South Carolina to be affixed this 9th day of June, 2026.
