City Manager Stephen Jellie announced today that the City of Ogdensburg will recognize the Juneteenth holiday on Monday, June 20th. City Hall, all administrative offices and the Department of Public Works will be closed and will all reopen on Tuesday, June 21st.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation in the United States. President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation to free enslaved African Americans in secessionist states on January 1, 1863, but enslaved people in Galveston, Texas would not learn of their freedom until two years later. The holiday has been celebrated annually in Galveston, Texas since June 19, 1865 and became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021 when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.
Many communities and businesses are recognizing the importance of this holiday and specifying it as a paid holiday for employees to encourage sharing and learning about our nation’s history and the importance of freedom.