Yakima City Council on June 3 approved three proclamations by unanimous vote.

Council adopted a Juneteenth Freedom Week proclamation (June 9–19, 2025) presented by Councilmember Herrera to representatives of the Yakima County NAACP. The proclamation recognizes Juneteenth as a day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States and encourages residents to observe related events.

The council also approved an Older Americans Month proclamation for May and invited Kathy Medford, an advisory council member for Aging and Long Term Care, to speak. Medford described the role of area agencies on aging and cited census‑area figures for older adults and poverty among residents.

Separately the council approved a proclamation recognizing idiopathic hypersomnia (IH) with the first Saturday in June declared as Idiopathic Hypersomnia Day in Yakima in honor of Eva Christiansen. Councilmember Rick Glenn read the proclamation and noted the condition is underrecognized; Christiansen, who attended, described school and employment difficulties she has faced due to the disorder.

All proclamations were approved by motions and roll call votes recorded as 7–0.

Why it matters: proclamations are ceremonial actions that recognize community populations and awareness efforts. The IH proclamation highlighted a rare medical condition and community advocates asked for increased awareness and insurance coverage for treatments.

Next steps: recipients and advocates may use the proclamations to raise awareness and coordinate community events.