Is Juneteenth a paid holiday?
(NewsNation) — For more than 150 years, Juneteenth has held deep significance in many Black communities as a symbol of liberation and resilience.
While it is now recognized as a federal holiday, only some states have followed suit in making it a paid state holiday.
According to a 2024 Congressional Research Service report, at least 30 states and the District of Columbia have designated Juneteenth as a permanent paid and/or legal holiday through legislation or executive action. Those states include:
Those states with no official provision for Juneteenth include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
New Mexico is not included in this list. While the state personnel board approved adding Juneteenth to the list of 2022 paid state holidays, Juneteenth is not recognized as a legal state holiday, according to the report.
West Virginia also does not recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday, as confirmed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Thursday, NewsNation affiliate WOWK reported.
While some states have acknowledged Juneteenth in symbolic ways or through commemorative events, others have chosen to mark the end of slavery differently, or in some cases, still observe Confederate-related holidays.
For example, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a proclamation recognizing the holiday in 2020, but not since. Florida does recognize the day slavery ended in the state, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The event is marked as Emancipation Day and celebrated in May, though it isn't a paid holiday.
Additionally, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas commemorate some Confederate holidays throughout the year, according to a separate Axios analysis.
Mississippi and Alabama each celebrate three Confederate holidays as paid days off for state employees, including Robert E. Lee Day, Confederate Memorial Day and Jefferson Davis' Birthday, according to Axios.
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, found out they had been freed — after the end of the Civil War and two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
Since it was designated a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has gained more widespread recognition beyond the Black community. Many people get the day off work or school, and there are a plethora of street festivals, fairs, concerts and other events.
Over the decades, Juneteenth has also been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Black Fourth of July and Second Independence Day among others.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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