LAKELAND, Fla. — Kenneth Glover only needs to look back four generations to find slavery on his family tree.
“My great-great grandparents were enslaved,” Glover said. “Migrated from South Carolina where the slave ship came in.”
Now, generations later, the Lakeland man is making a plea to have that history recognized.
He is asking the City of Lakeland to honor the plight of his and many others’ ancestors by making Juneteenth a city-observed holiday on which city offices would close and city employees would have the day off.
“Let’s celebrate that we have freedom for everybody,” he said.
Juneteenth, which is observed on June 19 in places that recognize the holiday, marks the end of slavery in the United States.
It became a federal holiday in 2021 and is recognized in cities like Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater, Haines City, and Bartow — but not Lakeland.
In a Monday meeting, Glover was joined by a few others asking Lakeland city commissioners to recognize the holiday.
“I knew my great grandfather. I remember him as a child. His father was a slave,” Virginia Robinson told commissioners. “Juneteenth is our Fourth of July. And that’s when we begin as Americans. That’s when we share this wonderful country.”
The idea got some initial pushback. Some commissioners questioned the cost of closing the city for another holiday. Commissioner Stephanie Madden questioned if the community-at-large truly wants the city to recognize Juneteenth.
Madden said she had only heard from a couple of people who wanted the holiday.
“I can’t spend 120-something-thousand dollars for one person. So when I say I need to hear from more people, I mean it,” she told the room. “If it represents a lot of people, and you know that to be true, then we need to hear that. Otherwise, we’re dictators. I can’t just dictate to my staff, ‘We’re going to pick this person’s holiday.’ They will all want their favorite holiday.”
However, that perception started to change as more stepped up to speak, and their pleas seemingly worked.
Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz directed city staff members to prepare a resolution that, if passed by commissioners at a later date, would make Juneteenth a city-observed holiday.
That resolution is expected to be debated on Mar. 18. Mutz, however, could not yet say when the city will begin recognizing the holiday if the resolution is passed.
Therefore, people like Glover will continue pleading to have their history recognized, honored, and celebrated.
“I’ve seen the City of Lakeland do — when it comes to making improvements for the benefit of African Americans — they always kick that can down the road and kick it further and further,” Glover said. “That’s what I ask them: the can has to stop.”
Glover wants members of the African American community and their allies to show their support of making Juneteenth a city-observed holiday by showing up to the next few commission meetings and emailing their commissioners.
To email all of Lakeland’s commissioners, send your message to citycommission@lakelandgov.net.
