Juneteenth Becomes an Official Holiday in New York State

Gov. Cuomo says ‘this new public holiday will serve as a day to recognize the achievements of the Black community’

June of 2020 was a particularly fraught time in America’s already fraught existence, which made this summer’s celebrations of Juneteenth — which commemorates the emancipation of Black people from chattel slavery — all the more significant. As Drew Costley wrote for Momentum:

This year’s celebration came after nearly a month of nationwide protests against police violence sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Before this year, Juneteenth was a holiday that wasn’t well known outside the Black community. But this year was different: A heightened awareness of racial justice and a desire to learn more about Black history coincided with the holiday and led to companies officially recognizing it as an annual holiday and calls from U.S. senators to make it a federal holiday.

On October 14, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law legislation designating Juneteenth as an official public holiday in New York state.