News of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation did not reach slaves in Texas for two-and-a-half years when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger marched into Galveston on June 19, 1865, to announce the end of slavery and the Civil War to the last slaves still toiling for their masters on American soil. Also known as “Black Independence Day,” the moment has been enshrined as Juneteenth, one of the most important dates in civil rights history. In 1980, Texas became the first state to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday, and all but a handful of states honor the date, which has received renewed attention amid 2020’s racial turmoil.
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday signed a measure making Juneteenth a legal state-paid holiday, starting in 2022.
Juneteenth — also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day — commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free on June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, where Union soldiers brought them the news two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Inslee issued the following statement through his Twitter account: “Today I signed HB 1016, which establishes Juneteenth as a state holiday. We cannot end systemic racism without addressing the role it has played in our nation’s history. Juneteenth is a day of hope, and a reminder of our constant struggle towards equity and justice.”
RELATED: Washington’s largest county moves to make Juneteenth holiday
The measure making June 19 a state-paid holiday passed the Democratic-led Senate on a bipartisan 47-1 vote and headed to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature. The House passed the measure in February on an 89 -9 vote.
In 2007, the Legislature designated Juneteenth as a day of remembrance. South Dakota and Hawaii are the only other states that don’t have some sort of official observance of the holiday. The Washington state Legislature passed a measure that makes Juneteenth a legal state holiday on April 9.
The Metropolitan King County Council made the first push to make Juneteenth an observed holiday in the state. A County Council committee, made up of every member of the County Council, voted 5-1 to add the holiday to the county’s slate of 10 paid holidays, The Seattle Times reported.
Making Juneteenth a paid holiday for King County’s approximately 15,000 employees will cost about $4.8 million a year, according to a county analysis, mostly in overtime costs for bus drivers, correctional officers and other employees who will need to work on the holiday.
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The Link LonkMay 14, 2021 at 03:23AM
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Juneteenth is now a legal Washington state holiday - YakTriNews KAPP-KVEW
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