Gov. Tony Evers, lawmakers and advocates celebrated Juneteenth on Wednesday, praising the progress the U.S. has made toward racial equality while also committing to continue to work to expand opportunity.
Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery in the United States. While the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, enslaved people on plantations in Texas were not notified until June 19, 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay to tell more than 250,000 enslaved Black people there that they were free.
“As we celebrate the critical progress that we’ve made, we also commit to continuing our work to build a more just, more equitable and a freer state and country for all,” said Evers, who is serving his final year in office. “Especially when there are those that would rather rewrite history than learn from it and as leaders in D.C. try to sow division and hate, we must remember that there is more that unites us than divides us and our diversity is our strength.”
Juneteenth was made a federal holiday in 2021 under a law signed by former President Joe Biden, although President Donald Trump’s administration removed the holiday, along with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, from the list of fee-free days at national parks. In 2025, Trump said on Juneteenth that there were “too many nonworking holidays in America” that were costing the country “billions of dollars.”
At the flag raising, community leaders delivered remarks about the significance of Juneteenth and honored Michael Johnson, CEO of the Dane County Boys & Girls Club, who died earlier this month. Participants conducted a libation prayer and performed songs to celebrate freedom.
“For over 160 years, this day has been recognized across the nation to celebrate the true end to slavery in the U.S.,” Evers said, crediting former Sen. Spencer Coggs and Rep. Marcia Coggs, who proposed the first bill to recognize the holiday, as well as Stubbs, Annie Weatherby-Flowers and other advocates for getting the state to recognize the day. “Unfortunately, it took us another two decades for us to get it right and become the 32nd state to formally recognize Juneteenth. We’re not turning our backs now.”
Wisconsin has recognized Juneteenth since 2009, but Evers first raised the Juneteenth flag over the state Capitol in 2020. Wednesday’s was his seventh and final flag-raising. He called the holiday a “reminder that the human spirit cannot be silenced and freedom will always triumph.”
The Juneteenth flag includes a star in the center to represent Texas, the Lone Star State, as well as a nova to signify a new beginning and freedom for Black Americans. The red, white and blue colors represent that enslaved people and their descendants are Americans and shall be forever free.
Camden Hargrove, an alderman from the city of Menomonie and the first Black, openly trans man elected to public office in Wisconsin, said the flag is a “symbol that reminds us all of our responsibility — our responsibility to make sure all children have equal opportunities, our responsibility to build each other up so we can all thrive, our responsibility to protect and expand democracy.”
The flag will temporarily replace the Progress Pride flag, which Evers raised over the Capitol on June 1, because there isn’t enough room on the East Wing flag pole for more than three flags. The U.S. flag and Wisconsin state flag will continue flying alongside the Juneteenth flag. The POW-MIA flag will also continue flying on the North Wing flagpole.
The Juneteenth flag will stay up until June 21.
Other elected officials at the celebration included state Treasurer John Leiber, a Republican, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, state Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison), state Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee), who chairs the legislative Black caucus and state Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee).
Drake said the day is more than just a holiday.
“It is a reminder of the ongoing struggle for liberation even beyond bondage,” Drake said. “Juneteenth was only the first barrier. We had to overcome retaliation against Reconstruction by the institution of Jim Crow, followed by mass incarceration and institutions meant to prohibit the advancements of African-Americans and now the attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Evers called the late Boys & Girls Club CEO Johnson a “force for good,” saying that he was always looking for new ways to lead and to support families and communities.
Johnson’s daughter, Micayla, said in remarks that her dad dedicated his life to advancing the ideals that Juneteenth are about: freedom, resilience and the ongoing pursuit of opportunity for everyone.
“We understand that freedom is not merely the absence of barriers, but the presence of opportunity, education, mentorship, and hope,” she said. “He worked tirelessly to open doors for young people and families, particularly those who had too often been denied access to resources and pathways for success. He believed that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, deserves the chance to dream, achieve, and thrive in doing so. For him, this work was never simply a profession, it was a calling.”
She added that her father’s impact is “a testament to the belief that when we invest in people, strengthen communities and expand opportunities, we move closer to the future that Juneteenth calls us to build.”
