Yesterday, New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo, signed an executive order recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday for state employees to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the U.S.
New York Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman, a Democrat, introduced a bill last week to make Junenteeth a public holiday in honor of “Black and African-American freedom and achievements.”
“As a state, it is our duty to recognize and celebrate June Nineteenth, not only by adopting resolutions but by pausing statewide to acknowledge and reflect on a day that changed the trajectory of the lives of most Blacks and African Americans being held as slaves in the U.S,” reads the bill’s memo.
The governor has set an April 2021 deadline for communities to pass concrete reforms or miss out on state aid for police departments.
Virginia’s governor proposed making Juneteenth a state holiday earlier this week.
