Phoenix Makes Juneteenth An Official Holiday

PHOENIX, AZ — The Phoenix City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to make Juneteenth an official paid holiday in the city.

Celebrated annually on June 19, the holiday marks the freeing of the last African American slaves in the United States in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. That was more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and two months after the Civil War ended. Juneteenth was made a national holiday in 2021.

Several local Black leaders thanked the council for its official recognition of Juneteenth, and for making it a paid holiday.

“As a descendant of slavery, this holiday is important to me and I can’t imagine my ancestors not being notified for two years after the rest of the country,” Carole Coles Henry said during the meeting.

Especially when with struggles for freedom, equality and justice still happening today, the commitment to memorializing Juneteenth is meaningful, she said.

The city council's official recognition of the holiday also garnered the support of the Arizona Commission of African American Affairs and the Arizona NAACP.

The honoring of Juneteenth should continue, said Anne Hart, to allow each generation to reflect on what more there is to do.

"It reminds us of what we came from and what we can achieve,” she said.

Multiple speakers also recognized the legacy of Vernell Williams in revitalizing Phoenix's annual Juneteenth Celebration. There are conflicting reports of when Phoenix first began celebrating Juneteenth, but Mayor Kate Gallego said it was first celebrated in the Valley in 1911.

Phoenix's Juneteenth celebration died out sometime in the 1940s and Williams is credited with bringing it back, first with a small celebration at Dunbar Elementary School in 1968 that eventually grew into the large community-wide celebration that the city observes each June 19 today.

Gallego said that it was exciting to know that Phoenix has been honoring Juneteenth for more than 100 years, and added that she hopes young people are at the forefront of the celebration.

“Establishing this holiday reminds us of the past, lets us know that change is possible when we work together and helps us see that we can create a more positive future through responsive policy making,” Gallego said. “May we make it a 'day on' instead of a 'day off.'”