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A resolution requesting the Metropolitan Civil Service Commission to provide employees the option of observing June 19, Juneteenth, as a Metropolitan Government holiday instead of Veteran's Day.
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WHEREAS, Juneteenth, also known as "Juneteenth Independence Day," "Emancipation Day," "Emancipation Celebration," and "Freedom Day," is recognized as the end of chattel slavery in the United States and is the oldest African American holiday observance in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth commemorates the strong survival instinct of African Americans who were first brought to this country stacked in the bottom of slave ships in a month-long journey across the Atlantic Ocean known as the "Middle Passage"; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth, or June 19, 1865, is considered the date when the last slaves in America were freed when General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3, almost two and one-half years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation; and
WHEREAS, observance of Juneteenth, a reminder of emancipation, spread from Texas to the neighboring states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as Alabama, Florida, and California, where many African American Texans migrated; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas, a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, family gatherings and community festivals. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement, and planning for the future; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth symbolizes freedom, celebrates the abolishment of slavery, and reminds all Americans of the significant contributions of African Americans to our society; and
WHEREAS, Section 4.5 of the Civil Service Rules provides for the official holidays of the Metropolitan Government; and
WHEREAS, on May 10, 2016, the Metropolitan Civil Service Commission amended t...
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