Juneteenth comments made by councilwoman called ‘divisive’
Streetsboro Councilwoman Julie Field voted against recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday for city employees because it “highlights and emphasizes a recollection of America’s sins.”
“The way I see it is that it’s a day that is established to push an agenda that doesn’t support our police,” she said. “In my personal convictions, I cannot support it.”
Dr. Geraldine Hayes Nelson, president of the Portage County NAACP, said the comments were very divisive. She said the fact that Field mentioned police showed the discussion was not necessarily based on the facts.
“It’s not about a Black or white issue,” Hayes Nelson said. “It’s about American history. And while it may not be the prettiest and the nicest, it’s happened in history.”
Earlier in 2021, Congress passed legislation that recognized June 19 as a federal holiday. It was signed into law on June 17 and took effect immediately. However, as a memo submitted to Streetsboro by union representatives explained, the suddenness meant there was little time to plan for the change.
In response, city employee unions asked administration to observe the holiday in all future bargaining unit contracts as well as grant additional time off in 2021 in recognition of the first national celebration of Juneteenth.
The memo was signed by representatives of the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Fire Fighters as well as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
“We hope to be rest assured that the City of Streetsboro Administration will without doubt join Congress and the President in honoring the plight of the Africa Americans struggle for freedom, the lives of over 360,000 Union Soldiers who died to secure such freedom and created for us all a greater nation,” the memo read.
Denying the celebration of Juneteenth is denying the community the opportunity to see the resilience and steadfastness of those involved in the Civil Rights struggle and, more importantly, the abolition of slavery, Hayes Nelson said.
“Obviously I am in support of that and even celebrating the accomplishments of the Civil Rights era and the movement of that,” said Field, who was the lone “no” vote. “But I have to ask myself in regards to this particular day what types of celebrations will unfold and result from this day. What is the true motive and intent of this day?”
Nelson said she is disappointed someone would make those comments in a public forum. She also believes that some comments point to assumptions being made.
“Juneteenth is a celebration,” Hayes Nelson said. “It is not in any way to be in the form of a protest. I don’t know how she made that into something that was anti-police or anti-public safety, that just tells me its a miseducation of America. That’s the agenda that’s being pushed.”
Nelson said she did not understand what those statements were grounded in or why they were being made except to form division. She raised concerned about people of color being placed into a category. Juneteenth is a celebration of the culture and a celebration of contributions that have been made by the African Americans, all-around freedom of speech and the right to assembly, she said.
“There’s no place in America where we can continue to stand up and make these types of assumptions about a group of people and not see this as an opportunity to celebrate our culture and the contributions that we’ve made to America,” Nelson said. “That’s what Juneteenth is all about.”
Contact reporter Kaitlyn Mcgarvey with Streetsboro news by email at kcmgarvey@recordpub.com or on Twitter at @kaitlynmcg_rc.