NYC Mayor Eric Adams announces Juneteenth as a paid city holiday
'This decision is long overdue,' wrote NYC Mayor Adams
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday morning via a press release that Juneteenth would be recognized as a city-wide paid holiday.
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"As the second Black mayor of New York City, I know that I stand on the shoulders of countless heroes and sheroes who put their lives on the line to secure a more perfect union. Now is the time for me to do a small part and recognize one of our nation’s greatest wrongs," Adams said in the statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Adams also shared his statement on Twitter, writing, "It’s time for our city to finally do what’s right and officially designate Juneteenth as a city holiday. This decision is long overdue…"
New York City will see its first paid Juneteenth this year on June 19.
Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference at City Hall in New York City, Jan. 24, 2022. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
The Biden administration designated Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021. The holiday marks the anniversary of federal troops announcing the freeing of all enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.
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The 1865 announcement came nearly two months after the Civil War ended and two years after Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York City joins several other major U.S. cities in recognizing Juneteenth as a paid city holiday, including Chicago, Illinois, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.