It looks like New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is the latest person to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday as it quickly approaches.
On Wednesday during his daily briefing, he announced that he would be signing the executive order to recognize it as a holiday for all state employees. He added that he will advance legislation to make Juneteenth an official holiday next year.
Today I will sign an Executive Order recognizing #Juneteenth as a holiday for state employees.
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I will advance legislation to make it an official state holiday next year.
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 17, 2020
According to the New York Post, he said during his briefing, “It is a day that we should all reflect upon.” His actions come after major companies have slowly started to make the announcement that the holiday, which has been celebrated in the black community for years, will now be observed.
As we previously reported, Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and Square announced last week that he would be making Juneteenth a company holiday. He added that Twitter is working to see what dates would make sense to celebrate the end of slavery in other countries where they currently have offices.
Following in their footsteps, Nike also announced that they would be recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday.
The new recognition of Juneteenth comes as many protests across the world have erupted in response to the death of George Floyd. The protests have caused many corporations and local officials to step up and show their support for the black community.
Juneteenth is a holiday that commemorates the date that enslaved African Americans celebrated their emancipation from slavery. The Emancipation of Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, however, June 19, 1865, was the emancipation of the last enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy.
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
