Columbia City Council to vote on making Juneteenth a city holiday
Could a new holiday be coming to the capital city?
On Tuesday, Columbia City Council is slated to vote on whether to make Juneteenth an official city holiday.
The move follows a wave of recognition for the holiday since the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25, which sparked weeks of protests against racism across the country.
Juneteenth is commemorated annually on June 19, honoring the end of slavery and the liberation of African Americans. On that date in 1865, the news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached what were believed to be the last enslaved people in the territory of the former Confederacy, when a Union general formally proclaimed emancipation in the state of Texas.
It wouldn’t be the first time the holiday has been recognized in South Carolina. In 2008, the S.C. Legislature declared Juneteenth a “celebration of freedom,” although the holiday is not a paid day off for state employees. Most states observe Juneteenth in some way; as of this past June, every state had formally commemorated the holiday except for Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota, according to the Congressional Research Service. It is not a federal holiday.
But there was a renewed emphasis on the holiday in 2020 as it coincided with a new wave of anti-racist action. Cities that approved new recognition of the holiday this year include New York City, Honolulu and Portland, Oregon.
Columbia City Council meets virtually at 2 p.m. Tuesday. If council members approve the measure, the city would next observe the holiday on June 19, 2021.
.jpg)