On Monday, June 15, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson announced that June 19 or Juneteenth Day, the celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, would now be a floating holiday for county employees. The County said that this measure is a part of its efforts to achieve racial equity and be the healthiest county in Wisconsin.
“Beginning this year, Milwaukee County will officially recognize this important day in American history,” said Crowley. “Juneteenth is a day to celebrate the rich history and culture of the African American community. It is also a day to appreciate the long struggle for civil rights that Black people in America have faced for centuries.”
June 19, 1865 was the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued two and a half years earlier. Juneteenth celebrations resurged after the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, with Milwaukee’s first celebration in 1971 being a part of that resurgence. Inspired by celebrations in the South, the Northcott Neighborhood House has organized Juneteenth celebrations in Harambee for 49 years.
The Northcott Neighborhood House also hosts the Miss Juneteenth Day Pageant and the Little Miss Juneteenth Day Pageant, the former introduced 28 years ago. The pageants give young women the opportunity to exhibit their talents, academic achievements and community contributions.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Juneteenth Day Parade and Street Festival were cancelled this year. Usually, tens of thousands of people attend the celebration on Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. every year.
The County said it recognized two public health emergencies in both Milwaukee and the nation; the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergency caused by deep-rooted racism. The measure was implemented to let county employees make use of the holiday and to address these health crises. Officials said the measure will be brought to the County Board of Supervisors in its July cycle so that Juneteenth can become a permanent floating holiday.
“I am hopeful that our employees will be able to take June 19 as a day ‘on’ not a day off in order to fully support Black lives, liberation and vision of Milwaukee County to achieve racial equity and become the healthiest county in Wisconsin,” said Crowley.
