COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Columbia City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to pass a resolution making Juneteenth an official holiday in Columbia.
The City of Columbia will add Juneteenth to the 10 other holidays observed by the city each year.
City offices will be closed and employees will be granted the day off with pay. Because June 19, 2021 is a Saturday, Juneteenth will be observed on Friday, June 18, 2021.
“This important moment in the history of our country gives us a tremendous opportunity to properly contextualize the contributions of those that came before us,” said Mayor Steve Benjamin. “Earlier this year, we adopted a new city flag that is based on the value of inclusion. Now, we are taking an important symbolic step to recognize the sacrifices of the enslaved men and women who helped build this city, and this nation. Establishing Juneteenth as a city holiday is a way to celebrate the end of one of the darkest periods in human history.”
The council also discussed a citywide night curfew and another items designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, as well as many other city business items. The curfew did not pass during the meeting.
June 19th, Juneteenth, is recognized as the end of slavery and is the oldest known celebration honoring the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth was officially declared a state holiday in Texas in 1980, and a number of other states subsequently followed suit to celebrate the culture and achievements of African Americans globally. The country has recently seen racial injustice and violence toward African-American citizens which have resulted in national protests, demonstrations, and a unification of voices crying out for the need for judicial racial reform. The Juneteenth holiday is being implemented by the City of Columbia to pay tribute and recognize the holiday’s enormous racial and cultural significance in this country.
Juneteenth is a day celebrated each year on June 19. It marks the day in 1865 when a large group of slaves in Texas found out they'd been freed by President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation over two years earlier.
On that day in 1865, Union troops led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all remaining slaves were free. Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation that had declared their freedom in September 1862. The order was issued during the Civil War and effective January 1, 1863.
There's been a push to make the holiday official in states and nationally but the effort gained extra attention in June after the unrest and calls for social justice in the wake of the George Floyd killing.
In 1980, Texas was the first state to make Juneteenth a holiday. Others followed suit in the four decades since. A handful have made it a paid holiday while most others give the day an official observance or recognition. Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota remain the only states that do not recognize Juneteenth, according to the Congressional Research Service.
There is a flag for Juneteenth. It features a 12-pointed star with a white 5-pointed star inside it. They appear on top of a blue and red background.
L.J. Graf, one of the banner's designers, wrote that the Juneteenth flag represents the history and freedom of enslaved people and their descendants. Graf says, "The design of the Juneteenth flag depicts a bursting 'new star,' on the horizon. The star represents A NEW FREEDOM, A NEW PEOPLE, A NEW STAR. The red, white, and blue colors communicate that the American Slaves, and their descendants were all Americans."