Juneteenth to be made official holiday in second state
Virginia - the former capital of the Confederacy - follows Texas in commemoration of date
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Juneteenth - a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the US - is to be made an official holiday in Virginia, its governor said.
The day, also called Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, is celebrated annually on 19 June.
Virginia governor Ralph Northam said he believed the state, once home to the capital of the Confederacy, would be the second state to grant all state employees a day's leave on the date following Texas.
Speaking of the commemoration, Mr Northam said: “It's time we elevate this.
“Not just a celebration by and for some Virginians but one acknowledged and celebrated by all of us.”
The Democratic governor is giving every executive branch employee this Friday off as a paid holiday and will work with the legislature later this year to pass a law codifying Juneteenth as a permanent state holiday.
The legislation is likely to pass the Democratic-controlled legislature with little trouble.
The holiday commemorates 19 June 1865, when news finally reached African Americans in Texas that US president Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves living in Confederate states two years earlier.
When Union soldiers arrived in Galveston to bring the news that slavery had been abolished, former slaves celebrated.
The announcement came less than two weeks after Mr Northam announced he was ordering the removal of a statue of General Robert E Lee along Richmond's prominent Monument Avenue.
It is one of the country's most iconic monuments to the Confederacy.
Donald Trump announced last week that he has rescheduled a campaign rally that was planned in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Juneteenth.
The announcement of the rally had sparked an outcry because Tulsa was the site of one of the worst instances of racial violence in US history in 1921, when hundreds of African Americans were massacred by a white mob that burned black-owned businesses and homes.
Mr Northam was joined at his news conference by musician Pharrell Williams, who is from Virginia.
Mr Williams said Juneteenth deserves the same level of recognition and celebration as Independence Day.
“Here's our day, and if you love us, it'll be your day too,” Mr Williams said.
In a statement, state House Republican leader Todd Gilbert echoed the same sentiments.
“July 4th is the birthday of our nation, but Juneteenth is the day where it truly began to fulfill its promise of freedom for all,” he said.
“For the first time since enslaved Africans landed at Jamestown in 1619, the chains of bondage were finally cast off.”
Associated Press
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments