Juneteenth will no-longer be recognized as a normal day moving forward after Governor Andrew Cuomo declared the date to be celebrated in honor of the end of slavery. Cuomo passed the date officially into legislation on Wednesday afternoon.
The holiday, also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, will consist of a paid our leave day for employees of the state, rather than workers to accept an extended day off, according to CBS News. Juneteenth is considered a holiday for employment. However, Cuomo is working to make the date a state holiday.
"Friday is Juneteenth - a day to commemorate the end of slavery inn the United State - and it's a day that is especially relevant in this moment in history," Cuomo stated during a news release. "Although slavery ended 150 years ago, there as still been rampant, systemic discrimination, and injustice in this state, and this nation, and we have been working to enact real reforms to address these inequalities," he added.
Although Cuomo proposed Juneteenth as a state holiday, starting this Friday, it's not noticed as a new holiday. Juneteenth was already known as a holiday that was first declared by the state of Texas IN 1980. It was then suggested on Tuesday, by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, to be recognized as a holiday for his state too.