LOCAL
Celebrate Juneteenth with Labor
March for workers rights and celebrate Freedom Day with the Seattle chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and partners
SEATTLE, WA (June 17, 2026) — Friday marks the 160th anniversary of the first Juneteenth celebration, which took place in Texas a year after the news of the Emancipation Proclamation was shared in Galveston, Texas, announcing that enslaved Black Americans’ struggle for freedom had ended chattel slavery in the U.S.
That announcement read: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”
Juneteenth, officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, recognizes the long struggle for freedom, Black Americans’ resilience, and galvanizes Americans to continue fighting for equality and opportunity for all. Seattle’s labor movement will gather for the A. Philip Randolph Institute Seattle Chapter’s seventh annual celebration on Friday, June 19 celebrating that legacy and fighting for change.
This year, the APRI Seattle Chapter’s Juneteenth On the Waterfront Freedom Celebration will carry several messages: 
- A Freedom Celebration
- Honoring Black Economic Freedom.
- A show of solidarity with UNITE HERE hotel workers who have voted to strike against the Seattle Embassy Suites (a Hilton hotel).
In the spirit of A. Philip Randolph’s principled fight for economic and social justice in tandem, the event will start with rally to support workers at the Embassy Suites hotel just steps from the stadium where a World Cup game will be played on Friday. Workers there have authorized a strike during ongoing contract negotiations, pushing for higher wages and protections against DHS and ICE agents who are using racial profiling to target communities of color for surveillance, detention, and denial of due process.
The event is co-sponsored by International Longshore & Warehouse Union locals with endorsement from the Washington State Labor Council, MLK Labor, Puget Sound Coalition for Black Trade Unionists, UFCW 3000, and more.
Event schedule:
- 10:00am – Gather at Embassy Suites (255 S. King St) near 2nd Ave S with signs and leaflets to hand out
- 11:30am -11:45am- Regroup at Embassy Suites for rally
- 11:45am -12:00pm – March leaves to waterfront and ILWU Local 19 (3440 E Marginal Way S)
- 1:00pm – 4:00pm – Celebration at ILWU Hall with literature tables, speakers, food and music!
For more info or to join the march, please contact David at: mcltan@comcast.net