DETROIT – It’s hard to believe that several years ago most Americans had never heard of its other Independence Day, Juneteenth, which recognizes the end of slavery in the United States.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in June 2021, a year after the national reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd.
And now, this year, at least 28 states and the District of Columbia will legally recognize Juneteenth as a public holiday, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of state human resources websites, state legislation, and news articles. That means state government offices are closed and state workers have a paid day off.
In 1980, Texas became the first state to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday.
The holiday commemorates when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas learned of their freedom, which was more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Last year, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist issued a proclamation declaring June 19 as Juneteenth Celebration Day in Michigan.
State lawmakers approved a bill this month that would cement Juneteenth as a public holiday into state law. Whitmer is expected to sign off on the bill.
A woman by the name of Opal Lee is credited with helping make Juneteenth a national holiday.
In 2016, at 90 years old, Lee walked 1,400 miles from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about Juneteenth.
Lee was there when Biden signed the Juneteenth bill into law in 2021.
As a person who is a descendant of enslaved people in the United States, this Juneteenth weekend, I’m reflecting on the horrors and hardships they endured based on the color of their skin. I’m also celebrating their survival.