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What states do not recognize Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is now recognized as a permanent state holiday in over half of states. Which have yet to pass a law recognizing the holiday?

Update:
Juneteenth 2023: Origen significado y qué se conmemora el 19 de junio en Estados Unidos
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Although a common belief among many in the United States of America is that President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1862 marked the end of slavery, the true end to this cruel practice came a few years later. Due to the ongoing war at the time of the Proclamation, several rebel states chose to ignore it. Moreover, numerous slave owners had transported their slaves to Texas, where they continued to be held in bondage and were uninformed about their right to freedom.

Juneteenth, June the nineteenth, commemorates the true end to slavery in the US, linked to the day when, after the American Civil War had ended, Union Army General Gordon Granger proclaimed that all slaves in Texas were free on June 19, 1865.

Juneteenth: recognition as a Federal holiday

In 1980, Texas was the pioneering state to acknowledge the holiday through state law. On June 17, 2021, the US Congress approved the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, officially establishing June 19th as the twelfth federal holiday.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia recognize Juneteenth as a holiday or observance According to Pew Research, the research organization, those 27 states that have passed laws to make Juneteenth a permanent state holiday: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. This figure increased from eighteen states last year.

With this statute, federal employees will have the day off and private businesses and organizations can offer Juneteenth as a paid holiday to their employees. Already, under state law in Texas, New York, Virginia, and Washington, Juneteenth is an official holiday where state employees are given the day off.

Acceptance of Juneteenth

In 2021 when Congress passed a law recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, it faced opposition from right-wing groups. Kay C. James, the President of the Herritage Foundation, stated in an interview with Fox News that Juneteenth was “a perfect answer to those who are promoting critical race theory.” This year, right-wing media is focusing more on anti-LGBTQ issues, leaving behind the rhetoric on critical race theory, which could mean that Juneteenth may not receive much attention from those who previously criticized the holiday.