New York declares Juneteenth a holiday for state employees
New York’s governor signed an executive order Wednesday recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday for state employees to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the U.S.
New York City declares Juneteenth an official holiday
It comes as millions of Americans plan to celebrate the holiday commemorating the end of US slavery.
www.bbc.co.uk
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that Juneteenth - the 19 June date which marks the end of US slavery - will become an official holiday.
It comes as millions of Americans plan to commemorate, with marches and personal observances, the 1865 date when the last US slaves were freed.
Several states already observe the day as an official holiday and there is a push to declare it a national holiday.
The date's significance has grown this year amid Black Lives Matter protests.
Mayor de Blasio said in a press conference on Friday that the date would be marked as an official city holiday beginning in 2021, and will also be a public school holiday.
"We'll work with all the unions to work through the plan, give this day the importance and recognition it deserves," Mr de Blasio said. "Every city worker, every student will have the opportunity to reflect the meaning of our history and the truth."
Earlier this week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an order making Juneteenth - also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day - a paid holiday for state workers.
Mr Cuomo said he would introduce legislation to make the day a holiday for all New Yorkers by 2021.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam also promised to make Juneteenth a holiday by 2021 in the former capitol of the Confederacy which rebelled against the US during the Civil War for the legal right to enslave black people.
In Pennsylvania, Gov Tom Wolf has also signed an order making Juneteenth a holiday for state workers.
This isn't a Pan African event, it's a Black American one, that is disrespectful. LGBT community is already merging they shit into Juneteenth and co opting events into some gays were oppressed like slaves bullshit and Twitter uses a rainbow gay emoji for it. That is disrespectful. America has a history of taking our gains and giving them to everybody (immigrants, gays, whites, etc) to erase our justice claim.
