ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (KWQC) – Juneteenth is now an official holiday in Rock Island.
City Council members unanimously voted to approve June 19 – also known as Juneteenth – as an official city holiday during the June 10 city council meeting.
On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended in April, and that all remaining slaves in Texas were free — an event celebrated to this day.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.
Mayor Mike Thoms said it is important to recognize Juneteenth as a day of significance for Black Americans.
“Rock Island is a city with a large, diverse population and we acknowledge the past while working together toward a better future. The Juneteenth holiday celebrates the independence and freedom of all Americans.”
Martin Luther King Center Executive Director Jerry Jones said Juneteenth is not about getting a day off of work.
“It is a strategic and systemic decision to keep an American tragedy in our consciousness so that we can work for the healing that still needs to occur in our city, state and country. It is a decision to continue to strive for a more just city.”
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