Gov. Jared Polis and the state employees union last year agreed to make Juneteenth a new, official state holiday — and SB22-139 is an enactment of that agreement. The bill was championed by three members of Colorado’s Black legislative caucus.
Colorado gained an 11th state holiday Monday when Gov. Jared Polis signedCelebrated annually on June 19, Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved Black people.
“Making Juneteenth a state holiday means Colorado would not only recognize that Black people are free, but that all people are free,” said state Sen. James Coleman, a Denver Democrat and a lead sponsor of the Juneteenth bill.
His Senate cosponsor, Aurora Democrat Janet Buckner, said it’s “long past time” Colorado made this change. “I am proud to champion this important legislation which will help educate all Coloradans about the horrors of slavery, make space to celebrate the Black community, and lift up our ongoing work to make sure we don’t forget our past,” she said.
Though state government will recognize the holiday, other workplaces will have the option to observe it, or not, as is already the case for other holidays. When Juneteenth falls on a weekend, affected workers will get the next Monday off.
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