With more awareness on the Black experience in America over the past year, many state and city officials are moving to make Juneteenth (June 19) an official holiday.
Last June, Governor Cuomo declared the date an official state holiday for 2021, and now NYC schools have also made it official, with that day now a holiday for students and staff for the 21-22 school year. It will be observed on Monday, June 20, 2022.
Juneteenth marks the end of enslavement of people of African descent in the United States, which happened on June 19, 1865. On that date, the last group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were informed of their legal emancipation–two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Find out more about it here.
Some other updates from the NYC DOE? No more snow days again; students will have to do school remotely. Election Day will no longer be off either, remote school will be required as well.
And, Columbus Day has been renamed to “Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day.” In regards to the decision, DOE spokesperson Danielle Filson gave the following statement:
“Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day will celebrate the contributions and legacies of Italian Americans and recognize that Native people are the first inhabitants of the land that became our country. By including these holidays on our calendar we are honoring the past, present, and future contributions of Indigenous communities and Italian Americans.”
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