COLUMBUS – Juneteenth will become the 12th date on the calendar to be recognized as an official federal holiday in the U.S. and in Columbus.
President Joe Biden signed a bill into law on Thursday a bill making June 19th a federal holiday after the measure was approved by the House on Wednesday.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther Thursday announced June 19 will be observed as a paid holiday for all full-time City of Columbus employees beginning in 2022 and that City Hall will be illuminated in the red, black and green colors of the Pan-African flag from June 18-20.
Over the past year, all of us have been reminded of the unrelenting power and promise of a free, inclusive society. At the same time, we have been reminded of just how unevenly freedom has been achieved and preserved since the founding of this country. It has been fully realized by some while remaining elusive and unfulfilled for others. -Mayor Andrew Ginther (D-Columbus)
Ginther signed a proclamation in 2020 declaring June 19 as Juneteenth granted all city employees an additional paid holiday this year to use at their discretion.
Governor Mike DeWine also announced Thursday that he had declared the date a state holiday and gave workers Friday off since June 19 falls on a Saturday this year.
“Columbus Emancipated: Juneteenth Freedom Day,” is scheduled for Saturday, June 19, from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the Kings Arts Complex, 835 Mount Vernon Avenue. The free event will feature foods, games, music, health screenings, COVID-19 vaccinations, higher education and information sessions.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, two months after the Confederacy had surrendered and about 2 1/2 years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states.
It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983.