# Juneteenth Flag Raising 6.16.26

- Date: June 16, 2026
- Type: Video
- Length: 49:43
- Topic: Other
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww9JH9MBA2c)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 4,952 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/ww9JH9MBA2c.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Juneteenth Flag Raising.

## Transcript

[0:02](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2) And I guarantee you to the most high God, the creator of the heavens and earth, the master planner, the architect of the universe, to the one that formed, molded and shaped us, to the one that gave us and sustains us with the breath of life.

[1:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=118) We say thank you. We thank you for our bodies in which your spirit dwells. We thank you for the consciousness that gives us awareness of whose and whom we are. We thank you for the gift of thought. We thank you for the ability to sense and to act. We thank you for the opportunity to be alive, animated, attentive, anointed, with both a veracity and a capacity to do your will.

[2:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=149) We thank you for our ancestors of the immediate and not so distant past. we thank you for the present in our peers friends and family we thank you for our prodigy and all those who you allow to shape share impact and to hold the future we thank you for everything that is everything that has been and everything has yet to come we ask the entire crowd to say amen we will now

[3:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=180) begin with the pouring of libations we gather in gratitude for those who came before us our ancestors elders loved ones and community builders whose lives and sacrifices made this moment possible as i pour this water we honor the ancestors whose names we know please call out

[3:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=213) the names of the ancestors that are dear to you we honor those who struggled sacrificed created protected, taught, healed, and opened doors. For future generations, we say Ashe. At this time, again, we invite those gathered to call aloud the names of ancestors, elders, and loved ones

[4:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=248) they wish to honor. After we speak each name, we will respond with Ashe. I will call forth my grandfather, Joseph Abraham Taylor, I say Ashe. We call forth Gwendolyn Brooks, let her say Ashe. Let's call forth the Mayor Harold Washington. Let's call forth Brother El-Haj Malik Shabazz.

[4:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=281) Let's call forth Ida B. Wells. Feel free to call her name. Ashe. Ashe. I say, I say, may their wisdom guide us, their courage strengthen us, and their unfinished work inspire us. We give thanks for the foundation they laid, and we accept upon our responsibility

[5:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=316) to build it. May their ancestors be honored, may their legacy live through us, and may we leave a worthy legacy for those who have yet to come. Let us all say, Ashe. Good morning. It looks like the weather is holding up for us, so hopefully no rain. Thank you for coming out for another beautiful Chicago Juneteenth celebration. If this is one of your first times coming, I really appreciate

[5:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=352) all y'all coming out. I want to start with some thanks, folks, for folks who are on my Chicago Juneteenth Planning Coalition. My name is Torrance Gardner. I'm one of the co-founders. As you just heard, Theodore Crawford did an amazing job. Give him a hand of applause. And I got Tammy Johnson behind me over here. He's sitting next to him, one of our folks on the core team as well. And Ms. Carol over here. He holds it down on the west side for 1865 Fest.

[6:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=382) I am honored to be here to cement this day further. This day marks both the promise of freedom fulfilled and the ongoing pursuit of justice and equity in our country. Today, we not only celebrate the resilience, culture, and contributions of black Chicagoans, but we also reflect on our shared responsibility to advance opportunity and dignity for all.

[6:53](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=413) Chicago is a place where millions of African Americans have historically believed they could write their own destiny From those battered bodies and souls that were brought across and changed in the Atlantic Ocean Through blood, sweat, and tears that have shaped the face of Chicago They have contributed so much to this country Despite segregation and the denial of fundamental human rights Chicago's politics, entertainment, sports, and civic life

[7:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=445) have all been impacted by the strength and soul of African Americans. Chicago's DNA would be incomplete without the contributions of African Americans. Juneteenth recognizes not only slavery, but the will to overcome and the everlasting fight for dignity. We now have Juneteenth, cemented as a holiday.

[7:57](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=477) And I know Alderwoman Hatton, who's in the audience, can attest that took no strong, no strong, I took less, I took more work than we thought, but I'm glad we was done. But where do we go from here? We are in a year that marks the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, an anniversary forever blemished by the horrific system of slavery that laid the groundwork for many of the issues that still plague our city and our country today. today. Poverty is one of those issues. Poverty remains a strange fruit in this land of opportunity

[8:32](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=512) of ours. Let's call it what it is. We face an affordability crisis. Many cannot afford a home, buy groceries, or pay for childcare. If we are truly to attain peace and justice for all, we must address poverty. Juneteenth gives us this historical context, but we must take action. We must support initiatives that increase wages. We must support guaranteed

[9:04](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=544) income programs. We must support reparations. We must no longer ignore poverty or treat it as something shameful. We must get rid of the self-hate and escape gold culture. We must get rid of belief in me culture driven by social media and AI now. From here, from here, we must unite around the idea that in a nation with so much wealth, regardless of one's color, sexual orientation

[9:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=580) or religion. No one should go hungry or be without a home. So today, let's make Juneteenth the call to action and lift every voice. Thank you. Thank you for being here to learn, to connect, and to celebrate. Now I want to call up one of my folks, Tammy Johnson.

[10:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=616) Good morning. Juneteenth is the only holiday that marks the abolishment of slavery. I'm going to repeat that. Juneteenth is the only holiday that marks the abolishment of slavery. And I don't want anyone to miss that. So I want to say it a third time. Juneteenth is the only holiday that marks the abolishment of slavery.

[10:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=652) So here in Chicago, we understand and appreciate the gravity of honoring our ancestors and their plight. and the fact that slavery happened, and most importantly, that it ended. Often, someone comes along that gets the assignment right. Today, we would like to honor three people for their dedication in the areas of culture, community, and politics.

[11:30](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=690) Please join me in welcoming to the stage the architect of modern black political power, Oscar Warrell. Thank you, Tammy. I want to thank the coalition. On behalf and in honor of my dear deceased brother, African ancestor, my mentor, Dr. Conrad Worrell,

[12:23](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=743) who is, was, and forever will be the architect of the Task Force for Black Political Empowerment that elected the first African-American mayor in the city of Chicago in 1983. On behalf of my family, my mother Annabelle and Walter Worrell,

[12:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=775) I accept the formal acknowledgement of my personal commitment to unite African American people in Chicago and the African diaspora world. I would like to acknowledge the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum President, David Peterson, for submitting my name to the mayor's office for this esteemed honor.

[13:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=807) To the selfless service to the worldwide African liberation movement. Happy Juneteenth flag raising day. I would like to also acknowledge Mayor Brandon Johnson, the City Council, David Moore, Michael Frears, Jason Irving, Maria Handen, and all those officers in the City Council as well as our great Cook County.

[13:58](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=838) And let me acknowledge our President, Tony Preckwinkle. I want to say in solidarity, this is what we do. Forward Together, Backwards Never. My name is Oscar Worrell, Pyramid Consulting Group. Thank you very much.

[14:29](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=869) Thank you, Oscar Worrell. We now bring to you the community strategist, the youth development leader, the neighborhood hero, Aisha Oliver. Good morning, Chicago. I want to thank you all for this honor. it is an absolute privilege but I do

[15:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=900) not accepted for myself alone. I stand on the shoulders of my great grandparents who came here out of the backwoods of Mississippi and planted themselves on the west side of Chicago. As teenagers, they made their way to Chicago to start their lives over and create a family. They didn't have much, but they had a vision. And that vision is standing in front of you all today. My love for black people, my passion for black communities took

[15:41](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=941) root in me as a little girl, thanks to my grandfather. And every single day I walk in the beauty of being a black woman, a black mother, and the lover of my community. A selfless person who wants to see us all grow, develop, and thrive. I enter every room knowing that my ancestors chose me for a time such as this. Juneteenth is not just a celebration for me.

[16:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=974) It is a reminder that freedom was not handed to us. It was claimed. And the work of freedom is never finished we are still building it right here block by block on the west side of chicago on the south side of chicago downtown chicago and in every corner of this very great city so let me say this plainly i will continue to live and be proof of what the west side produces

[16:51](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1011) and what is here in the greatest city in the world. Not what they say about us, but what we know about ourselves. And in closing, I ask that you hear me. If you truly want to see communities in Chicago change, invest in the people who call it home. We are the closest to the problems, so we are the closest to the solutions. And for that very reason, I will continue to walk boldly in the name so graciously given to me by the kids in my neighborhood.

[17:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1048) I am your neighborhood hero. Thank you, Chicago. Lastly, but certainly not least, our very own Emmy Award winning modern historian, cultural worker and brand ambassador, Sherman Dilla Thomas. Thank you very much. I'm extremely honored. I want to start off by saying I get the privilege of telling my wife that she's beautiful before the mayor gets to shout out his wife because I cake better than the mayor.

[18:13](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1093) So, baby, you're the fan of this woman in Chicago. I just want you to know that. And I cake way harder than the mayor. I just want you to also know that. I won't be here with you long. I just want to remind us all, those who are being recognized and those who are soon to be recognized, that even the thing called Juneteenth got some Chicago in it. And everything dope about America comes from Chicago. And so you might have heard the story that on June 19th, 1865, General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston.

[18:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1129) When nobody ever tells us in these Chicago schools that he had with him the Illinois Colored 29th Regiment. What does that mean? It was some brothers from Illinois and showing up some brothers from Chicago on the grounds when black people found out that we were no longer in chattel slavery. And so the same way Chicago have been working for freedom then, we're still working for freedom now. I'm just going to continue to put in some work. Thank you guys very much.

[19:20](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1160) Thank you all. It was an honor to honor the honorees. We now have spoken word with Nina Jay.

[20:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1200) Unlike thunder and lightning, I don't mean to be frightening when I move through your bloodstream. Even when I'm pushing and fighting, I'm just trying to pull a little light into my hood. It's treated like a crime scene. Black bodies. We come from the dirt, from lashes, under shirts. we will not buckle beneath any crumbling. We come from old earth way before language was birth,

[20:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1235) we will not fall despite any stumbling. Black bodies, we come from the skies as wide as new eyes, as wide as black eyes, thighs that nurture child. All this blood that you see has always been seen by we, we only pretend that docile, we've been wild. Black bodies, we come from the days still carry the waves of planets rotating in bats. These bodies been blessed, even the milk in our breast carries the wisdom like black flesh almanacs. Black bodies, we galaxies

[21:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1271) on dim, we know how to swim when the currents move into our out. All these lies that we hear is not new to black ears, we've been centuries learning the route. We come from within like black nails digging into the flesh of this decaying place. We twinkle like stars because we know who we are because these masks were real on our face. Like black nails digging into the flesh of this decaying place. Again, we twinkle like stars because we know who we are

[21:44](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1304) because these masks were real on our face and we only warn them to stay alive. We were forced to connived by the cruelty that power made friend this place is not a new place at least not to the black race we've been living it since preachers live sin hello everybody my name is

[22:18](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1338) carl coupe i'm the chief equity officer for our beloved city and on the office city i would love to welcome you all uh to this beautiful day not too hot this time around i want to welcome especially our elected, all of our elder persons here, our Cook County and state representatives as well, and also those of you who are joining us via the live stream. I would like to introduce our beloved Chairwoman Stephanie Coleman to the podium.

[22:56](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1376) Good morning to all of the amazing residents, to my colleagues, City Treasurer Melissa Conyers-Urban, will members of the Chicago Automatic Black Caucus please stand? Alderman Hall, Haddon, Clay, Wolf, Jeanette Taylor, Alderman Mosley, and then our colleagues from the Illinois Black Caucus, will you please stand? Thank you so

[23:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1407) much. To those that preserve and uplift the history and significance of Juneteenth, I want to also acknowledge all of the clergy. I see Pastor Billy Evans as well as Pastor Leslie Sanders that are both here. I would like to thank our mayor for keeping his word and his promise and commitment to the work of reparations and the task force. Mayor, in 2023, you and your budget

[24:01](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1441) team were committed to, once we found the monies by way of cannabis tax dollars, to invest $500,000 in the 20-member reparations committee that we now know as uplifting black wealth, uplifting quality education, community resources, housing, and wealth building here within the city of Chicago. To Alderwoman Maria Haddon in 2021,

[24:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1471) this work has not gone in vain as we raise the first flag with the prior administration and certainly under the leadership of both myself and Chairman Jason Irvin, we are here five years later still uplifting the voices of African Americans within the city of Chicago. To the 20-member Coalition Reparations Task Force, Thank you. Thank you for commitment of every mom. dedicating your time and resources as you can see we have had some budget challenges because

[25:06](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1506) we don't even have the food trucks out here where's the uncle remus at aside because that's the only time i get to eat uncle remus during juneteenth this festival but no we really thank you for your commitment thank you for the time that you sacrifice and uplifting and ensuring that black Chicago certainly makes up the best of Chicago.

[25:36](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1536) God bless you all. Thank you so much. It is not freedom denied. I'm going to ask for the chair of the Reparations Task Force, and that is the greatest alderman of the Fifth Ward, Alderman Desmond Yancey. Good morning, Chicago.

[26:07](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1567) Welcome to our sixth annual Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony. As mentioned, I'm Alderman Desmond Yancey of the Fifth Ward and a proud descendant of American chattel slavery. So from Forest City, Arkansas, to the sugar canes of Freetown, Louisiana, and to South Shore, Chicago, I greet you with jubilee today. And happy Juneteenth. Thank you, Mayor Johnson, for continuing this recognition of this symbol of freedom. And then also thanks to Chairwoman Stephanie Coleman of the 16th Ward and all my colleagues and other elected officials who are here today

[26:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1600) as we celebrate this wonderful occasion. I stand here before you dressed in the colors of the Juneteenth flag, which was created by black Bostonian Ben Haith in 1997, who used the colors red, white, and blue to remind us all that formerly enslaved black people were and will always be Americans. In about three weeks, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation, while foundational black Americans have only been subject to the laws of this nation since 1865.

[27:13](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1633) Recent developments would even debate that, because for many black Americans, the last 161 years has been an exhausting fight to justify our own existence, an existence that the words of the Declaration of Independence decrees that all of us are created equal, and that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But today, we get to celebrate the flag of freedom and a flag won by revolution.

[27:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1665) In 2021, President Joe Biden declared that June 19th be a federal holiday, forever memorializing Juneteenth, a combination of the words June and 19th, also known as Emancipation Day. It commemorates the day in 1865 after the Confederate States surrendered to end the Civil War when a Union General arrived in Galveston, Texas to inform a group of enslaved African Americans of their freedom two whole years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

[28:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1695) This year, Juneteenth is on a weekend, allowing for Juneteenth celebrations all across this city, connecting our beautiful communities with the resilience of my people, black people, in a way that celebrates our resilience. And in the spirit of that resilience and freedom, I'd like to acknowledge Fifth War Community Leader Levante Stewart, founder of Lost Boys and Lost Girls, a community nonprofit that uses athletics as a vehicle to support the entire family, from food insecurity to housing

[28:47](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1727) to providing solid male leadership for young people. He's one of those constituents that will call me at any time of the day to discuss anything from the state of the city to how we can make our communities better. He's also a constituent that I would call my friend. So thank you for your work, brother. And if I can just take a moment, I'd like to acknowledge a couple of other South Shore leaders that are present today. The great Theo Crawford, formerly of South Shore Works, and I think I saw my brother Ryle Jackson from Real Man Cook.

[29:19](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1759) Thank you, brothers, for your commitment to keeping our communities vibrant. And to that end, thank you all. Happy Juneteenth. Thank you so much, Alderman Yancey. It is truly an honor to join you all today as we gather to commemorate Juneteenth and raise this flag over Daly Plaza in our beloved city.

[29:49](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1789) You have already heard and we will continue to hear about the significance of Juneteenth. But for me, the core essence of Juneteenth is simply truth. The truth of what has happened. The truth of what was and is still delayed. The truth of what was endured. And the truth of a people who never stopped believing in freedom, even when freedom was denied. That commitment to truth is why this year's theme is Truth Told, Future Claimed.

[30:19](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1819) Because Juneteenth is not only a remembrance of the past. It is also an invitation, a directive, to ask what kind of future we choose to create now. As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, we find ourselves at a threshold. What truths are we willing to acknowledge? What lessons are we willing to carry forward? And what future are we willing to build together? The future is not something that simply arrives.

[30:50](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1850) It is something we shape through our choices, our courage, and our willingness to take responsibility for one another. That responsibility belongs to us all, to honor history honestly, to continue the work of repair, to protect the dignity of every person, and to create communities where every child can see possibility for themselves and for others and know that they have a place in the future, in this city, here in Chicago, that is being built.

[31:26](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1886) Today, as we raise this flag, we do more than commemorate a historic event. We honor generations who carried hope through unimaginable circumstances. We celebrate the resilience, creativity, leadership, and contributions of black communities. And we recommit ourselves to the ongoing work of building a more just and interconnected city. We inherited the freedom the people who first celebrated Juneteenth created and had long prayed for, but were not able to live and experience fully.

[31:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1919) The question before us today is, what future will our descendants inherit because of what we choose to create now? May this flag remind us that truth matters. May it remind us that freedom requires action and stewardship. And may we understand that we have already claimed our future. We just must now take the steps to anchor and embody it. And on that last point, it is now my distinct honor and pleasure to introduce a leader who has consistently challenged us to think not only about the city we have inherited,

[32:36](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1956) but the city we are building together for the next 250 years and beyond. Please join me in welcoming our dear mayor of Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson. Thank you to our Chief Carlo Coupe for that introduction and her leadership as the city's chief equity officer. Good morning, everyone. It is a tremendous honor to join you as we gather to raise the Juneteenth flag here in the city of Chicago.

[33:11](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=1991) I do want to thank all of the members of the city council, particularly Black Caucus members, and all of our city council members that are joining us today, to our city treasurer, to our state representatives. I do want to give a special thanks to Chairwoman Stephanie Coleman and to Desmond Yancey for their commitment to justice and the empowerment of our people. Both of them have done incredible work in their respective communities.

[33:43](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2023) In Inglewood, there's economic development and housing that has taken place in the Fifth Ward, ensuring that we are protecting the residents around Jackson Park. That work is being done by two amazing leaders. Can we give Alderman Yancey and Coleman another round of applause? Thank you all for sharing your gifts with us. This year, our nation marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

[34:18](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2058) But for black people in this country, there's another anniversary that carries a deeper and a special meaning. It was in 1865, where federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and finally informed enslaved black Americans that they were finally free. More than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued, In the following year, newly freed black people came together to celebrate what became known as Juneteenth, a true day that commemorates freedom, delayed but certainly not denied.

[34:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2095) It was a celebration of liberation, a celebration of resilience. and a celebration of people who never stopped believing in a just and a better tomorrow. And yet, we know that freedom did not arrive all at once. The end of slavery did not end in justice. And that promise of citizenship did not guarantee equality. The right to be free did not protect black Americans from segregation, discrimination, violence, and generations of systemic exclusion.

[35:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2127) The reality that too many black families have experienced, that even though our emancipation and liberation has been declared, the fight to continue to subjugate us continues. And whether it's in the largest closing of schools in the history of America, where black children and black families were displaced, or the shuttering of public housing, or the closing of mental health clinics, our work for liberation still continues in this season.

[35:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2159) Millions of black families flee the South in search of opportunity, dignity, and self-determination. And many of them came right here in Chicago. They built communities in Bronzeville and Kenwood, Hyde Park, North Lawndale, and neighborhoods across this city. They built businesses, churches, institutions, and movements. They built culture that transformed Chicago and influenced the entire world. They helped make this city what it is today. And while our ancestors escaped the oppression of Jim Crow South,

[36:31](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2191) they still encountered barriers that limited access to housing, health care, education, and economic opportunity. Those inequities remain with us today, which is why Juneteenth is not just a celebration of history, but it is a call to action. It's a reminder that freedom requires vigilance, that justice requires courage, and that progress requires all of us. As our country prepares to celebrate 250 years of history, we must be honest in this moment.

[37:01](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2221) White supremacy still wants to grip our necks with its ugly hands, but as long as we remain together, we can continue to break free and experience liberation as our ancestors dreamed of. And so across this nation, we continue to see efforts to roll back rights, divide communities and undermine the very ideals that generations fought to secure. But we know something that our ancestors knew. We know that hope is stronger than fear. We know

[37:32](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2252) that unity is stronger than division. And we know that when people come together and organize around justice, there is no challenge that we cannot overcome. And that is why this This year's theme is so powerful, truth told, future claimed, honoring Juneteenth and shaping the next 250 years. Our work is not done, black people. Our work is not done, America, because it calls on us to tell the truth, the truth not just about our past, but to confront the harms of systemic disinvestment.

[38:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2288) We have to ensure that we invest in people and communities today, build a future where every child in every neighborhood has an opportunity to thrive. And as we look to the future, I'm proud to share two important milestones that reflect the progress that we are making together. First, life expectancy in Chicago has reached an all-time high of 79.5 years. This is not just another statistic.

[38:39](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2319) This is more grandparents celebrating birthdays, more parents watching their children grow, more families sharing precious moments together. And importantly, black Chicagoans have seen a life expectancy increase by one and a half years. For the first time since 2020, the life expectancy gap between black residents and other Chicagoans has fallen below 10 years. That progress reflects reductions in opioid overdose deaths, greater access to health care, investments in prevention

[39:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2354) and public health. It is proof that when we invest in people, lives actually improve. Second, we are continuing our efforts to expand pathways to generational wealth through the Department of Housing's Homegrown Purchase Assistance Program. For too many working families, The dream of home ownership is not stopped by monthly mortgage payments, but it is stopped by the upfront cost of down payment and closing expenses.

[39:48](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2388) The Homegrown Program helps remove those barriers by providing grant assistance to eligible first-time homebuyers. We are offering $70,000. down payment assistance and closing costs for first-time homebuyers. We are creating generational wealth, and we are repopulating the west and south sides of this beloved city. Home ownership is more than about owning property. It's about stability, opportunity, building equity, and creating wealth that can be passed from one generation to the next.

[40:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2422) And finally, this is the spirit of Juneteenth. Honoring those who came before us for protecting the progress that we have made and creating opportunities for generations to come. As we celebrate Juneteenth today, let us recommit ourselves to that important work to building the safest, most affordable big city in America. Let us continue creating a Chicago where every resident, regardless of their zip code, can live with dignity, opportunity, and hope. And let us continue building a city where people can grow old,

[40:53](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2453) watch their families thrive, and pass on a better future to the next generation. And let's make sure that we live long enough to see a Cubs and a White Sox World Series. The future is great, Chicago. I want to give a final special acknowledgement to the honorees today, the three extraordinary individuals whose work continues to strengthen our communities and our city. Thank you to Oscar Worrell, Aisha Oliver, and Sherman, Dilla Thomas.

[41:26](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2486) please come forward. Happy Juneteenth. Happy Juneteenth. Let's celebrate the greatest city in the world, the city of Chicago. God bless you all. Hello, hello. Hi. Before you all leave,

[42:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2537) just give about five to three minutes for transition, and then we'll all celebrate as the flag gets raised. So please just bear with us about five to three minutes, and then we'll get you all going, and you all can see the flag be raised. Thank you. Can all of our elected officials join us on stage, please? Can all of our elected officials join us on stage, please? Thank you.

[46:19](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c?t=2779) Check, check, check. That the brazen has brazen.

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/ww9JH9MBA2c · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt