Violet Edwards and her granddaughter Christina Edwards, accepting the Juneteenth proclamation {City of Parkland}
By Bryan Boggiano
The city commission issued a proclamation recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth in Parkland at their June 7 meeting.
Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. On Jan. 1, 18683, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed enslaved people in the Confederacy.
On. June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger led thousands of federal troops into Galveston, Texas, to announce the Civil War had ended and enslaved people were freed, according to city documents.
Juneteenth is the oldest celebration honoring the end of slavery in the country. In 2021, Congress approved making Juneteenth a federal holiday, which President Joe Biden signed into law.
Parkland resident Violet Edwards accepted the city’s proclamation. In 2022, at 96, she became the fifth-oldest person in the world to earn her college degree. She earned her associate of science degree from Mercy College in New York, taking online classes. She is also the oldest to graduate from college in the United States.
According to the city, Edwards, her ancestors, and her descendants embody a definition of vision, hope, and generation fortitude.
For the city, recognizing Juneteenth is important to its mission of embracing equity, equality, community, and the importance of black history, according to the proclamation.
City Commissioner Jordan Isrow encouraged students to take an example from Edwards. He said people never stop learning, and age is not an excuse to stop.
“That’s an incredible fete, and I think all of us can be really appreciative,” he said.
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