Juneteenth National Freedom Day Established In Howard County

Ellicott City MD

08 April, 2021

5:37 PM

Description

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — June 19, known as Juneteenth National Freedom Day, has been designated as an official Howard County holiday. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, marking the day when the news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached slaves in Galveston, Texas, more than two years after it was signed. "Juneteenth is a historic day for our country, as the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States," Ball said. "Today, we're proud to announce that Juneteenth will be an official county holiday. In Howard County, we consistently recognize that diversity is our strength and are always working to be more equitable and inclusive, that includes making sure that our community has the opportunity to recognize and learn more about this defining day." Juneteenth will be recognized as an official Howard County government holiday. Since June 19th falls on a Saturday this year, county employees will receive paid holiday leave on Friday, June 18. As with other paid county holidays, county employees required to work on an employee holiday will receive pay based as explained in the employee manual or their applicable bargaining agreement. "We have celebrated Juneteenth in Howard County for a number of years and the county executive has always been so supportive, he is showing his usual foresight and sensitivity in taking the giant step of declaring this a holiday in Howard County. We invite everyone to join us on June 19, to kick off our annual celebration," Dr. Everlene Cunningham, chair of Howard County Center for African American Culture, said at the press conference. Willie Flowers, president of the NAACP Maryland State Conference/Howard County NAACP, said that Juneteeth is a celebration that "reminds us to understand the details of white supremacy before we talk about anything else, see the horror of it, know that our ancestors endured it and know that we have a role in transforming into something that's more positive and bold for everyone." "Juneteenth is for everyone. Juneteenth set the stage for some type of emancipation for this whole country," Flowers said.