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Georgia News

Juneteenth now an official holiday for Augusta city workers

What you need to know: Juneteenth
By Tim darnell
July 22, 2020

City workers in Augusta will now get Juneteenth as an official holiday, beginning in 2022.

Richmond County commissioners voted to approve June 19 as a county holiday, according to WFXG.

Juneteeth is the oldest-known celebration that honors the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned that they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

This year, Juneteenth took on greater significance, amid a national reckoning about race, racism and police violence. More corporations treated June 19 as a company holiday this year.

However, it has not been designated as a federal holiday, which would make it a paid day off for many American workers.

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