Juneteenth becomes official holiday in New Jersey – By Li Cohen (CBS News) / Sept 12 2020
Juneteenth, an annual commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, is now an official holiday in New Jersey. Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill on Thursday that says the state will celebrate the day every year on the third Friday in June.
Juneteenth is a celebration in remembrance of June 19, 1865, when Black slaves in Galveston, Texas, were told that they were free. The day came nearly six months after Congress passed the 13th amendment, which abolished slavery.
“Commemorating this date is just one component of our collective approach to end a generational cycle of pain and injustice that has gone on for far too long,” Murphy said in a press statement. “Every Juneteenth, we will celebrate the end of the physical chains which once held Black Americans down. While more work lies ahead to undo the oppression that remains, Juneteenth is [an] important marker that reminds us of our mission to create a society that enables our Black communities to achieve the full equality which they deserve.”
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