Juneteenth Day Now Official Milwaukee County Holiday

MILWAUKEE COUNTY, WI — Milwaukee County facilities will now be closed every year on June 19 in observance of Juneteenth Day, after county officials passed a resolution making the day an official county holiday.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley declared the day an official county holiday by executive order last week. The executive order made it possible for county employees to have a floating holiday as a result of Juneteenth Day.

The Milwaukee County Board unanimously passed a resolution Thursday making Juneteenth Day an official holiday across the county.

“Marking Juneteenth as an official holiday is a declaration that Black Lives Matter, and it is an invitation to all Milwaukee County residents to reflect upon the significance of this day and the struggles that Black Americans have endured for the past 401 years," County Board Chair Marcelia Nicholson said in a statement. "Providing County employees with one more paid holiday is a demonstration of our commitment to improving the health and wellness of all County employees through the pursuit of racial equity,” said Chairwoman Nicholson in a news release.

Juneteenth Day, observed every year in the U.S. on June 19, is a 155-year-old holiday that celebrates the emancipation of African Americans from slavery.