Governor Evers raises flag in honor of Juneteenth

MADISON, Wis (CIVIC MEDIA) – Governor Tony Evers raised the Juneteenth flag at the state capitol yesterday, giving his remarks on the federal holiday.

When the Emancipation Proclamation was implemented, it took years to get news to enslaved people in Confederate states. That news finally came to Texas on June 19, 1865, and the last enslaved people in the country were freed. 

Governor Tony Evers raised the Juneteenth flag at the state capitol yesterday, commenting on how the holiday came to be.

“For 160 years, this day has been recognized across the nation to celebrate the true end of slavery in the United States,” Gov. Evers said. “And in 1987, to bring this home to Wisconsin, State Senator Spencer Coggs and Representative Marcia Coggs proposed the first legislation to recognize Juneteenth in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, it took us another two decades to get it right.” 

This is the sixth year in a row the Juneteenth flag has flown at Wisconsin’s capitol building. The state officially began recognizing the holiday in 2009. Celebrations will take place across the state this weekend, with some areas celebrating for the first time, such as Door County.