 General Order No. 3. Courtesy of National Archives
This week, my King County Council colleagues and I proclaimed today as Juneteenth in Martin Luther King, Jr. County, recognizing the historic day when enslaved African-Americans in Texas were informed by Major General Gordon Granger that they were free, ending 246 years of chattel slavery.
General Granger’s General Order No. 3 notifying all Texans of the Emancipation Proclamation in the City of Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 stated in part:
“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves...”
We know today that “absolute equality of rights” was not achieved then, two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, effective January 1, 1863. Nor was it achieved when the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution finally outlawed slavery across all of the United States later in 1865.
As Professor Michelle Alexander points out, the racial caste system in America did not end there, it merely changed and adapted, first with Jim Crow, followed by the War on Drugs and mass incarceration, along with other systems of control. These system persist and result in ongoing racial disparities at every stage of life, including here in King County.
Juneteenth is a day to celebrate freedom, but it is also a day to reflect on the ways the legacy of racism still infects our communities and on the work we must do if we are finally to make good on the promise of racial justice and equity, over 150 years after the first Juneteenth.
At the King County Council, we have taken some recent steps, including passing a motion calling on the Sheriff’s office to address 43 recommendations from an outside civilian audit of practices involved in the fatal shooting of Mi’Chance Dunlap-Gittens, and advancing proposed charter amendments to improve civilian oversight and police accountability.
Further work will continue through this summer and fall, with additional proposed policy changes and financial support for critical community services and organizations to be determined through a series of budget actions. Beyond that, the Council is just beginning to plan for the first renewal of the Best Starts for Kids Levy, which offers an important opportunity to direct resources to communities of color as well as a wide variety of targeted support programs that are aimed at lifelong success and breaking the school-to-prison pipeline.
We know there is so much more to do and that we must commit to change over the long term. And we need your help! Please contact my office with any specific suggestions for this critical work. I hope that on June 19, 2021, we will be celebrating meaningful progress toward real opportunity and justice.
King County's application to move into Phase 2 approved!
The application for the County to move into Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan was approved by the Washington State Department of Health earlier today.
Restaurants and bars can now open at half capacity with limited table sizes, hair and nail salons and barbershops can increase capacity, and retail stores can reopen for in-store purchases at 30% capacity. It also allows additional outdoor recreation and one gathering per week with no more than five people outside of a single household.
 During the time that we gradually and cautiously reopen our economy, it’s more important than ever to wash our hands, wear masks and maintain physical distancing. These indispensable health practices will ensure we limit the spread and make our journey to recover a one-way trip. Learn more about what's open in each Phase of the Safe Start Plan here.
Sincerely,
 Claudia Balducci
King County Council
Council Chair
District 6
|
