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Juneteenth Paid Administrative Leave Day and Contribution to 2023 Celebration
Discussion/Direction/Action: President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing those in the Southern states from indentured servitude, on January 1, 1863. That was in the midst of the Civil War between the Northern and Southern states and those enslaved only learned of their freedom bit by bit after the war ended on April 9, 1865. Word of enslaved people's freedom reached Galveston, Texas, in a state with an estimated 250,000 people in slavery, on June 19, 1865. This became known as Juneteenth and its celebration spread from Galveston across the United States - Juneteenth has been celebrated in Tucson and Pima County for 52 years.
On June 15, 2021, the United States Senate voted unanimously to make Juneteenth an official federal holiday on June 19 of each year - the Friday before when the day is Saturday and the Monday after when the day is Sunday. On June 16, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 415-14 in favor of following the Senate's lead. President Joe Biden signed the measure into law on June 17, 2021.
Direction to the Administration: Please take the necessary steps to prepare for Board of Supervisors action on a resolution awarding county employee with a paid administrative leave day off to celebrate Juneteenth, on or around June 19 of each year, in a manner similar to that of Cesar Chavez Day. In addition, we propose that Pima County contribute $10,000 to the local 2023 Juneteenth Celebration. (District 5)