Juneteenth Paid Holiday Resolution Approved In Tennessee County

A resolution to make Juneteenth a paid holiday in Montgomery County, Tennessee has been approved.

The resolution was approved at a formal meeting of county commissioners last week, FOX 17 News reports. The resolution was initially brought up two months ago and talks have continued since.

Those opposed to the resolution wanted the state to make a decision, FOX 17 News reports. Those in favor wanted the resolution to be moved along in an effort to pressure state lawmakers, who ultimately have not passed any legislation to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday.

During the night of the final vote, some county commissioners attempted to trade one holiday for another, mentioning the possibility of taking off the day after Thanksgiving or President's Day, noting that it would be "fiscally responsible" for taxpayers, FOX 17 News reports.

One commissioner who opposed the resolution suggested a survey should be conducted to ask whether Juneteenth or the day recognized as "Emancipation Day" in Tennessee and other states, August 8, should be taken off.

Juneteenth, also known as "Jubilee Day," "Emancipation Day" or "Freedom Day," is the observance of the ending of slavery in the United States, which dates back to June 19, 1865, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and that slaves were free.

Juneteenth is recognized as the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

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