4th year as a federal holiday, still no Florida holiday

On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, with 2,000 Union troops and delivered a message for the more than 250,000 blacks enslaved there.

They were finally free.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day or second Independence Day, celebrates the freedom of African Americans in the United States. On Wednesday, Juneteenth is a federal holiday for the fourth time.

It is also the fourth year that Florida has refrained from declaring it a state holiday.

What is Juneteenth?

The director of the African American Civil War Museum explains the history and significance of the Juneteenth festival

Frank Smith, director of the African American Civil War Museum, explains the origins of Juneteenth and its path to becoming a national holiday.

Josh Morgan, USA TODAY

With Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved people in the United States were freed starting January 1, 1863.

But it was left to slave owners to tell their slaves about their new freedom, and many of them simply ignored it since it could not be enforced in the secessionist states under Confederate control at the time, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It took nearly 2½ years, with many people still enslaved, for Granger to reassure the newly freed residents of Galveston that Union troops would enforce it.

“The people of Texas are informed that, pursuant to a proclamation of the Government of the United States, all slaves are free,” announced Granger. “This involves an absolute equality of personal and property rights between former masters and slaves, and the connection hitherto existing between them becomes that between employer and wage-earner. The freedmen are advised to remain in their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they are not permitted to collect money at military posts; and they will not be supported by idleness there or elsewhere.”

The first Juneteenth celebration on this date took place in Galveston the following year, 1866, and spread as African Americans moved away from the South. However, many white people made fun of it.

After Reconstruction ended, Juneteenth and Florida's own Emancipation Day became smaller, more subdued celebrations amid renewed calls for segregation and a rise in racial violence, lynchings, and Jim Crow laws in the state and the South. It was not until many decades later, during the civil rights protests of the 1960s and '70s, that Juneteenth and Emancipation Day were finally widely celebrated as acts of resistance and pride, as James Schnur's history of the holiday on TheGabber.com shows.

Governor Lawton Chiles signed the Juneteenth Celebrating Act in May 1991, calling on “public officials, schools, private organizations and all citizens to honor the historic significance” of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth celebrations: What is open and closed on Juneteenth in Florida? The holiday falls on a Wednesday this year

Is Juneteenth Day celebrated in Florida?

Every U.S. state has recognized Juneteenth as a holiday or day of observance, and according to the Congressional Research Service, “at least 28 states and the District of Columbia have designated Juneteenth as a permanent paid and/or legal holiday at least once.” Texas was the first state to officially observe it in 1980, and Florida was the second in 1991, long before the rest of the country.

However, Florida, like states such as California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and more than two dozen others, does not officially recognize the holiday and does not list the date as a paid holiday on official state calendars.

Governor Ron DeSantis passed a resolution in 2020 calling on Floridians to honor Juneteenth. “Juneteenth is an important opportunity to honor the principles of the Declaration of Independence and to celebrate the achievements and contributions that African Americans have made and continue to make in Florida and across the country,” the resolution states.

Since then, he has not issued any more Juneteenth resolutions, and repeated attempts to make Juneteenth an official state holiday have failed in the Florida Legislature, with the most recent attempt coming in 2022.

Some county commissions and city councils have declared Juneteenth an official holiday and closed offices. In April, Lakeland officials voted unanimously to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for city employees starting this year.

What is Emancipation Day in Florida?

Instead, Florida, like many other states, celebrates the day slavery was abolished within its borders.

Union General Edward M. McCook issued the Emancipation Proclamation on May 20, 1865, in Tallahassee, just over a month after General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. May 20 is celebrated as Emancipation Day in Florida (although it is also not a paid holiday).

Like Juneteenth Day, the date gained popularity and significance during the civil rights marches and protests in the late 20th century.

“Celebrating May 20 as Emancipation Day is a long-standing tradition in Tallahassee and other parts of Florida,” Secretary of State Cord Byrd said in a press release. “Especially in the capital's bicentennial year, this annual commemoration allows us to come together as a community in the spirit of celebration, history and freedom.”

Please note the following dates: A complete list of Florida state holidays for 2024

Is Juneteenth a paid holiday in Florida? Do we work on Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is a federal holiday, not an official state holiday. It is a paid holiday for federal employees, and non-essential federal employees have the day off, although some companies offer their employees a paid day.

Only about half of the U.S. states recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday, but more and more states are considering doing so.

Why is it called Juneteenth?

“Juneteenth” is a portmanteau of the words “June” and “Nineteenth,” the day on which Granger issued the proclamation.

Juneteenth is for everyone: These Americans want you to know that Juneteenth is a national holiday for everyone, not just black people

When is Juneteenth celebrated?

Juneteenth Day is celebrated every year on June 19th.

The Federal Bank Reserve is observing Juneteenth Day and will be closed on that day. Therefore, most banks will also be closed. So will the stock market. All U.S. post offices will be closed and no mail will be delivered. All non-essential federal offices will be closed. Some local government offices may decide to close on Wednesday.

Some companies, such as Starbucks, allow their employees to take a day off, but most stores remain open.

Contributors: Brandon Girod, Pensacola News-Journal; Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY

csibon

4th year as a federal holiday, still no Florida holiday

What is Juneteenth?

Is Juneteenth Day celebrated in Florida?

What is Emancipation Day in Florida?

Is Juneteenth a paid holiday in Florida? Do we work on Juneteenth?

Why is it called Juneteenth?

When is Juneteenth celebrated?

Anna Harden

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What is Juneteenth?

Is Juneteenth Day celebrated in Florida?

What is Emancipation Day in Florida?

Is Juneteenth a paid holiday in Florida? Do we work on Juneteenth?

Why is it called Juneteenth?

When is Juneteenth celebrated?

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