Hillsborough County, Fla. (June 14, 2024) - Hillsborough County will raise a special flag in honor of Juneteenth at 10 a.m. Monday, June 17, outside the Frederick B. Karl County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33602.
The ceremony will include remarks by county commissioners, an invocation, and a performance by the Tampa Bay Juneteenth Community Choir.
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers brought news of freedom to enslaved African Americans in Texas, even though the Emancipation Proclamation had freed slaves 2½ years earlier.
In 2021, June 19 became an official federal holiday, and in July of that year, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners unanimously passed a motion declaring June 19 be observed as Juneteenth to honor the historical significance to the African American community. The County's first flag raising ceremony to commemorate Juneteenth took place in 2022, and Juneteenth is now an official County holiday.
Each element in the design of the Juneteenth flag has meaning, including a star representing Texas and the freedom of African Americans throughout the country, an outline around the star inspired by a nova and signifying a new beginning for African Americans, and an arc that extends across the width of the flag that represents a new horizon of promise and opportunities. The flag's colors are red, white, and blue.
WHAT: Juneteenth Flag-Raising Ceremony
WHEN: 10 a.m. Monday, June 17
WHERE: Frederick B. Karl County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33602