Community members are invited to join the City of Port Arthur and Shane Sinegal, Precinct 3 Commissioner, at the Jefferson County Sub-Courthouse to raise the Juneteenth Flag at 525 Lakeshore Drive, Port Arthur, TX, on Thursday, June 08, 2023, at 10:30 am. 

Every year Commissioner Michael Shane Sinegal’s Office recognizes Juneteenth as the day slavery finally ended in the United States. June 19, 1865, is when the last group of enslaved people was informed of their liberation in Texas, two and a half years after the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation. The flag is raised early in June to signal that June is a month of freedom for those gone before us and that Juneteenth is now recognized a federal holiday.

Juneteenth (June 19th) is a day to appreciate the Black and African American experience. It is a time to celebrate the inclusion of all races, ethnicities, and nationalities in our community. 

The Juneteenth Flag uses the same colors as the United States Flag – red, white, and blue – to show that formerly enslaved people and their descendants are free Americans, too. The arc on the flag represents a new opportunity, and the burst that outlines the star signifies a new beginning for all. 

Let us support the Juneteenth Flag Raising event hosted by the African American Cultural Society and Commissioner Sinegal’s office.