The Tucson City Council has officially declared Juneteenth, the day commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S., a city holiday.
The City Council voted to proceed to make June 19 — the day news of the end of slavery reached Galveston, Texas, in 1865 — a paid day off for city workers through a unanimous vote on Sept. 27. On Monday, the council again voted unanimously to officially encode the holiday into a city ordinance.
At the Sept. 27 meeting, Grace Temple Baptist Church Pastor Grady Scott spoke to the importance of the holiday.
“By designating Juneteenth as an official holiday, it will become like the other holidays … as a way of beginning a dialogue about how this great nation moved from forced slavery to freedom for people of African descent,” he said. “When Tucson’s children ask ‘Why don’t we have city services today?’, parent(s) will have to tell them ‘because we’re celebrating Juneteenth, a day when African Americans found out they have been liberated from slavery.’ “
Juneteenth is now the 12th paid holiday for city workers. If June 19 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it will be observed either the day before or after the holiday.
President Biden approved Juneteenth as a federal holiday in June 2021. Several Arizona cities including Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale and Goodyear have declared Juneteenth city holidays, but the state of Arizona has yet to make Juneteenth an official state holiday.
Pima County voted 4-1 on on Sept. 6 to create a Juneteenth holiday for county employees with Supervisor Steve Christy dissenting.
Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, is a holiday dedicated to celebrating Black culture, history and life.
