Juneteenth Community Celebration Week
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The source document
The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Jun 2, 2026
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The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Jun 2, 2026
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What was said
Machine transcription of 11m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 98% of 47 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
Okay, now we'll go for resolutions.
Mr. Clark?
Resolution number 26248, a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, recognize the week of June thirteenth through June twentieth as Juneteenth Community Celebration Week. Whereas on January 1st, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the freedom of all people enslaved in the Confederate States of America. Subsequently, the 13th Amendment to the
Constitution was adopted to formally abolish slavery across the United States. And whereas news of the Emancipation Proclamation was not immediately delivered to most of the remote areas of the Confederate South, and whereas Texas was the last bastion of slavery during the final days of the Civil War. And whereas, on June nineteenth, eighteen sixty-five, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued,
and today referred to as Juneteenth, Federal soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state to ensure the freedom of all the enslaved uh remaining enslaved people. And whereas this date has since become a day for African Americans to celebrate not only their freedom, but also their history, culture, and achievements. And whereas the word Juneteenth is the linguistic blend of the word June and 19th,
and was created to commemorate the historical significance of the date of June 19th, 1870. Yeah. And whereas Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday on June 17th, 2021, to provide all citizens the opportunity to learn, reflect, and celebrate the rights, privileges, culture, achievements, and sacrifices of all African Americans in the United States. And whereas to celebrate Juneteenth in Pasco County, the Pasco
County Parks, Recreation And the Natural Resources Department has organized a series of community events, including Introduction to Pickleball, Community Unity,
Basketball, Family Freedom Bowling, Shuttle and Shine Open Badminton, Beats and Brushes. The sixth annual Juneteenth community celebration, Heritage Movie on the Lawn, and Freedom Glow volleyball. And whereas through these activities, the Pasco County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Department intends to celebrate and honor the end of slavery in the United States and hopes to foster community among everyone
in Pasco County through activities where neighbors can play, collaborate, and compete. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, that said board hereby recognizes the week of June 13th through June 20th, 2026, as Juneteenth Community Celebration Week in Pasco County, and recognizes this week as an opportunity to celebrate the achievements and contributions our African American community members have. made
to Pasco County and across the nation. Done and resolved in regular session with the quorum president and voting the second day of June twenty twenty six.
Move approval.
Second.
Keith, are you going to uh be the spokesman for the group?
So I I
am
not gonna sing to open for one. That's not Commissioner Weightman I just on on behalf of everyone that's behind me and all members of the community, I just wanted to thank the board for you know allowing us to acknowledge this historically significant uh time in our country's history. And uh and I think it highlights the importance of how parks and general bring communities together. Uh and so I just thank you very much. I I know the team is excited when when this rolls around and we get to uh engage the community. But with that I'm gonna turn it over to
someone who may sing again and uh see what she has to say.
Commissioner Weightman be careful giving her the floor.
Normally it would be me, but my granddaughter flew in from Texas on Last night. Yeah. And we were having a talk about Juneteenth, and this is what she decided that she would say today.
All right.
Good morning, Honorable County Commissioners. My name is Brindley Barrick and I am seven years old. Today I stand here with a thankful heart To say thank you for supporting Juneteenth and for helping our community remember a very important part of history. Juneteenth is important because it teaches us that freedom is not something we should ever forget. It reminds us that people before us waited for freedom, prayed for freedom, worked for freedom, and believed that one day
things would be better. The June team, children like me can learn the truth about where we come from. We can learn about our culture, our history, and the strengths of the p the people who came before us. This week, families and children have the chance to come together through activities like beats and brushes in the sixth annual Juneteenth community. Celebration. These events help us learn, have fun, and celebrate our community together.
When you support Juneteenth, you are doing more than supporting a event. You are helping children learn. You are helping families come together. You are helping students receive scholarships. You are helping community build a better future. Your support tells kids like me that we matter. It tells us that our dreams matter. It tells us that our w future is worth investing in. So today I want to leave you with something to to remember. Freedom opened
the door, but education helped us walk through it. Thank you, honorable county commissioners, and thank you to every sponsor. Yeah.
Thank you.
Normaida? Young young lady, I don't think I've ever heard anyone put it better. Congratulations, you've got a great future. That was impressive.
Normada? Thank you. All I can say. All I can say.
Normita, all I can say is she takes after grandma. But the fact of it is, I grew up in a time here in Dade City and we had a fruit company and we had a lot of workers and a lot of people work for us in in Dade City and around and we had to get workers in to pick fruit. It was it was hard times, it was not good times. And I grew up in the era When we're going to be able to do There was bathrooms inside and there was bathrooms in the rear of our building. And I have never understood that and
I never did like it. And uh I had actually at Carson Newman College, when I entered college in 1963 and 1964, I was able to cast a vote that blacks could get an education at Carson Newman College, a Baptist College. college just like I did. And and that passed by the all the people and students there and it went forward from there. So but I'm glad that you're here today. I'm glad you're here representing
thank you, Keith, for bringing them forward. Um it's a great time. So Much better than what we had way in the past. And something a lot of people s you don't know your connection to people until you figure it out one day. Normally it's mom, I ran into her at a doctor's office. I was in there getting blood work and He said, Oh, I'm Romina's mom. I said, really? He said, yes. Said um My dad was Eddie Stark. I stopped in my tracks and looked down, I said,
Eddie Stark He was my dad's first mechanic for his fruit company back in the early 50s. And what a close r relationship that became 'cause I mean it gave connection for way back. Not just lately, but way back. So When you've been there eight decades you have a lot of way back.
But uh but I'm very proud to have y'all here today and I'll come there come down front if y'all come up here and the rest of you stay here and we'll take pictures.
a lot of Waybacks.
Wayback machine, there we go.
Preemptively turn the air down for you.
Oh, did you see my fan? It
was
so hot this weekend. I thought I had a fever.
It was hot as we can't anyway.
This is the group that painted the face that's a mouse.
We'll
have them.
Do you think we see a camera?
The baby needs to be in the front. Wait, we can't see the baby. The baby's in the back.
Oh, but she handed the baby off.
Right.
Commissioner Starkey. There's your commissioner. Yeah. Very good.