Massachusetts Has A New State Holiday

BOSTON — Juneteenth, the day marking the end of slavery in America, is now a state holiday in Massachusetts.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday signed a $1.1 billion COVID-19 spending bill that included an amendment marking June 19 a state holiday. The amendment was added by Rep. Bud Williams (D-Springfield).

The designation means employees must receive holiday pay and cannot be required to work.

Juneteenth observes the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Texas were told of their freedom, essentially ending slavery in America. It was more than two years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and a few months before the 13th amendment, which abolished slavery, was ratified.

Massachusetts joined nearly all of the rest of the country in making Juneteenth a state holiday or observance, according to NPR.

Juneteenth is not a national holiday, though the U.S. Senate approved a resolution recognizing Juneteenth Independence Day. Congress has not approved it.

The federal recognition of Juneteenth gained momentum in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and a national conversation about race relations and systemic inequality in America.