• COVID-19 Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Promotions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • July 1, 2022

Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

"THE NEWSPAPER YOU CAN TRUST SINCE 1964"

  • News
  • Editorials
  • Education
  • Urban Business
  • Health
  • Religion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classifieds

Juneteenth Now a Permanent County Holiday

June 27, 2020

Amendment to Elevate “Black Freedom Day” to a Mandatory Day Off Adopted

MILWAUKEE – The Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution making June 19 of every year, or “Juneteenth”, a holiday across Milwaukee County today. The action solidifies the establishment of June 19 as a permanent County holiday, a process that began when County Executive David Crowley declared June 19, 2020 a holiday by executive order last week.

“Marking Juneteenth as an official holiday is a declaration that Black Lives Matter, and it is an invitation to all Milwaukee County residents to reflect upon the significance of this day and the struggles that Black Americans have endured for the past 401 years. Providing County employees with one more paid holiday is a demonstration of our commitment to improving the health and wellness of all County employees through the pursuit of racial equity,” said Chairwoman Nicholson.

Prior to adopting a final version of the resolution, Supervisors unanimously approved an amendment to make June 19 of every year a “major” holiday, meaning all county facilities will be closed.

Many Black Americans and their allies celebrate June 19 as “Juneteenth” or “Freedom Day,” as a significant holiday to commemorate the day in 1865 when the a Union Army general declared the Emancipation Proclamation the law of the land in Texas, the final so-called “slave state” to implement the law nearly three years after it was signed, freeing 200 forgotten slaves in the process.

Milwaukee residents have celebrated Juneteenth with organized events marking the occasion since 1971.

Milwaukee County adopted a racial equity ordinance in April, with the stated goal of “advancing the strategic priority of achieving racial equity to improve the health of the entire community by eliminating any racism in the County’s policies, procedures, practices, and power structures,” and declared racism a public health crisis in April 2019.

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Holiday, Juneteenth Day, Milwaukee County

Read More - Related Articles

  • Juneteenth Day 2022 Celebration
  • Juneteenth Flag Proudly Flown at State Capitol
  • Juneteenth: Battles Fought & Won Every Generation
  • It’s Time to Celebrate Juneteenth, No Thanks to Senator Ron Johnson
  • Bader Philanthropies Sponsor of the Decade

View COVID-19 Resources

Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On Twitter
Follow Us On Twitter

Editorials

Lena Taylor
Lakeshia Myers
Rev Jesse Jackson Sr Ashanti Hamilton

Journalists

Mrinal Gokhale
Dylan Deprey
Karen Stokes
Hayley Crandall
Ana Martinez-Ortiz

Topics

Health Care & Wellness
Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Obituaries
Milwaukee NAACP

Politicians

Pres. Barack Obama
Gwen Moore
Tom Barrett
Milele A. Coggs
Spencer Coggs

Classifieds

Job Openings
Bid Requests
Req Proposals
Req Quotations
Apts For Rent

Contact Us

Milwaukee Courier
2003 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Ph: 414.449.4860
Fax: 414.906.5383

Copyright © 2022 · Courier Communications | View Privacy Policy | Site built and maintained by Farrell Marketing Technology LLC
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.