Juneteenth: What’s Open, What’s Closed In Maplewood?

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Because the June 19 Juneteenth holiday falls on a Sunday this year, federal offices, the post office, and many banks in the area will be closed Monday. And some local and state offices and courts were closed Friday.

This is in commemoration of the date in 1865 when word reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended and they were free.

Some companies, stores, and malls will also be closed either Friday or Monday (see links below).

Local Closures

• In Maplewood, the jitney will be suspended on Monday in honor of the holiday, and will resume on Tuesday.
• The South Orange-Maplewood schools were closed on Friday.
• Essex County offices were closed on Friday, June 17. Turtle Back Zoo, Codey Arena, and the Environmental Center remained open, as did COVID testing and vaccine centers.

Last year, President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth an official holiday, becoming the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday was approved in 1983. Juneteenth is oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.

READ MORE: What Is Juneteenth? Celebrating The End Of Slavery

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared Juneteenth a holiday in New Jersey in 2020 and Biden declared it a federal holiday in 2021. Technically, it marks the date, June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers freed the last remaining slaves in Texas, enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation, two and half years after it was originally issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863.

Companies And Stores

Patch employees have the day off Monday.

Some other businesses around town may also be closed, so if you’re planning to stop by one of them, it’s a good idea to call ahead to make sure the business is open.

Here are links to selected North Jersey mall hours:

• Newport Mall
• Garden State Plaza
• Paramus Park Mall
• Short Hills Mall
• Livingston Mall

Some big brands are giving their employees a day off or paying them extra.

Companies that are already looking seriously at diversity, equity and inclusion efforts may see adding Juneteenth as a paid holiday as “something tangible” that “recognizes the importance of that day,” Julie Stich, a vice president of content at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, told NPR.

Nike said in an email statement to NPR that Juneteenth is a paid holiday for corporate, retail, manufacturing and distribution employees across the Nike, Converse and Jordan brands. Zillow is doing the same as part of its “ongoing commitment to racial equality,” the company said in a statement.

Both Zillow and Nike are encouraging employees to reflect on the importance of the day while taking part in volunteering, activism and educational opportunities.

Among them, Target and Starbucks are open, but employees get time-and-a-half pay on Juneteenth, according to a list put together by Entrepreneur.

Tech companies Twitter and Square are giving employees the day off. Google and Amazon aren’t, but they’re encouraging employees to cancel meetings. Amazon is also offering “online learning opportunities” throughout the day.