Juneteenth becomes a national holiday

President Joe Biden signed legislation Thursday establishing a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery, saying he believes it will go down as one of the greatest honors he has as president.

Biden signed into law a bill to make Juneteenth, or June 19, the 12th federal holiday. The House voted 415-14 on Wednesday to send the bill to Biden, while the Senate passed the bill unanimously the day before. 

“This is a day of profound weight and profound power, a day in which we remember the moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery took on the country and continues to take,” Biden said.

Members of the Capital Region’s Black community said they welcomed the news.

“It’s long overdue,” said Albany Common Council President Corey Ellis. “People of color have been celebrating Juneteenth for decades.”

Paul Webster, a Niskayuna resident and former Schenectady NAACP president, said he planned to use the day to honor those who paved the way in years past.

 “I’ll be reflecting on the sacrifices made by those who came before me; supporting local Black-owned businesses like ‘Allie B’s Soul Food’ on (Albany’s) Clinton Avenue, and going to visit and clean the gravesite of veteran Richard C. Kelley, of Troy.”

Webster explained that Kelley was a runaway slave who joined the 20th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops in New York.

He later worked in the collar factories of Troy as a carpenter, his trade as an enslaved person. His son, George Biddle Kelley, graduated from Cornell and was the first Black licensed engineer in the state.

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. That was also about two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in the Southern states.

It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983. 

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which is the human resources office for the federal government, tweeted Thursday that most federal employees will observe the new holiday — Juneteenth National Independence Day — on Friday since June 19 falls on a Saturday this year.

In New York, Juneteenth was declared a state holiday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last October. 

Many state employees, such as those represented by the Public Employees Federation, will earn 7.5 or 8 hours of holiday leave to be used at another time, said union spokesman Rob Merrill.

Public schools next year will take a day off as well, although some, such as those in the Shenendehowa district, will be closed Friday.

As for the private sector, granting a paid day off on Juneteenth will likely come with time, similar to how the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday evolved over the years.

The National Grid utility designates Juneteenth as a paid holiday for its employees, saying they have “Remained committed to inclusion, equity, and diversity over the years.”

Additionally, the Clean and Healthy New York advocacy group made Juneteenth a holiday last year for its five employees.

Leslie Moran, spokeswoman for the state Health Plans Association, which represents health insurance providers, said these companies, which employ a large number of people, offer several options.

“Plans allow employees to take a ‘floating holiday’ or other paid personal time off. Plans also continually review new developments that assist them in evaluating HR policy,” she said.

Others said there would likely be talks going forward between employees and employers about making the day a holiday.

“Those conversations will be forthcoming with businesses,” said Tony Gaddy, president and CEO of the UpState Black Chamber of Commerce.

“If you looked at the evolution of the holiday, over time, more and more organizations,” recognized Martin Luther King Jr. Day, said Kathleen McClean, president of The McClean Group, a training and diversity consulting firm.

After a brief informal survey on Thursday, McClean said she knew of five local organizations, ranging from a Black-owned law firm, to several not-for-profits, that were closed, offered a day off or were planning to close early on Friday for Juneteenth.

Biden noted the overwhelming support for the bill from lawmakers in both parties.

“I hope this is the beginning of a change in the way we deal with one another,“ Biden said.

The White House moved quickly after the House debated the bill and then voted for it. 

“Our federal holidays are purposely few in number and recognize the most important milestones,“ said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. “I cannot think of a more important milestone to commemorate than the end of slavery in the United States.“

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaking next to a large poster featuring a historic image of a Black man whose back bore massive scarring from being whipped, said she would be in Galveston on Saturday to celebrate along with Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

“Can you imagine?” said Jackson Lee. “I will be standing maybe taller than Sen. Cornyn, forgive me for that, because it will be such an elevation of joy.”

The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday under a unanimous consent agreement that expedites the process for considering legislation. It takes just one senator’s objection to block such agreements.

The vote comes as lawmakers struggle to overcome divisions on police reform legislation following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year and as Republican state legislators push what experts say is an unprecedented number of bills aimed at restricting access to the ballot box. While Republicans say the goal is to prevent voter fraud, Democrats contend that the measures are aimed at undermining minority voting rights.

Several members of the Congressional Black Caucus went to the floor to speak in favor of the bill. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., said she viewed Juneteenth as a commemoration rather than a celebration because it represented something that was delayed in happening. 

“It also reminds me of what we don’t have today,“ she said. “And that is full access to justice, freedom and equality. All these are often in short supply as it relates to the Black community.“

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors. Democratic leaders moved quickly to bring the bill to the House floor after the Senate’s vote the day before. 

Some Republican lawmakers opposed the effort. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., said creating the federal holiday was an effort to celebrate “identity politics.“

“Since I believe in treating everyone equally, regardless of race, and that we should be focused on what unites us rather than our differences, I will vote no,“ he said in a press release.

The vast majority of states recognize Juneteenth as a holiday or have an official observance of the day, and most states hold celebrations. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia and Washington.

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said he would vote for the bill and that he supported the establishment of a federal holiday, but he was upset that the name of the holiday included the word “independence” rather than “emancipation.”

“Why would the Democrats want to politicize this by co-opting the name of our sacred holiday of Independence Day?“ Higgins asked.

Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., replied, “I want to say to my white colleagues on the other side: Getting your independence from being enslaved in a country is different from a country getting independence to rule themselves.”

She added, “We have a responsibility to teach every generation of Black and white Americans the pride of a people who have survived, endured and succeeded in these United States of America despite slavery.“

The 14 House Republicans who voted against the bill are Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Doug LaMalfa of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom McClintock of California, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Mike Rogers of Alabama, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Chip Roy of Texas and Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin. 

The Associated Press contributed.

rkarlin@timesunion.com • 518-454-5758  •  @RickKarlinTU