During a coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced he is looking to make Juneteenth a state holiday.
Juneteeth, celebrated annually on June 19, commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union general Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that all slaves in Texas were free. The day is also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day.
Here’s the order Granger read on that day, which put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued more than two and a half years earlier on Jan. 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln.
Northam made the announcement in Richmond, alongside Grammy-winning musician and Virginia native, Pharrell Williams.
Previously, Virginia has recognized the day with a proclamation.
Northam is proposing legislation to make the day a paid-state holiday.
Starting this Friday, Juneteenth will be a paid-day off for executive branch state employees.
Looking at Virginia’s state calendar, other holidays are New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, George Washington Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor day, Columbus Day and Yorktown Victory Day (which are both October 12, Election Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas Eve and Christmas.
Four hours of additional holiday time are also granted to state employees on the day before Thanksgiving.
2020 was the final year Virginia recognized Lee-Jackson Day as a state holiday.
Source: WSLS News 10