The City of Dayton is officially recognizing Juneteenth (June 19) as a city holiday.
Juneteenth is an important day in American history, commemorating June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that all slaves were to be freed in accordance with President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.
On June 16 of last year, President Joe Biden signed a bill approved with bipartisan Congressional support recognizing Juneteenth National Independence Day as a federal holiday.
Dayton joins Covington as Northern Kentucky cities among the handful of cities across the state to recognize Juneteenth officials. Others are Louisville, Lexington, Paducah, Frankfort, and Midway.
“The City of Dayton now officially recognizes Juneteenth as a city holiday,” Dayton Mayor Ben Baker said. “This is a small step toward ensuring equal justice for all and recognizing and affirming the clear promise found in the Emancipation Proclamation and our Constitution that all people are created equal.”
Mayor Baker issued an executive order recognizing the holiday on Wednesday. The holiday is being recognized this year in Dayton and by other governments on Monday, June 20, because June 19 falls on a Sunday.
Two years ago, Kentucky lawmakers promised to make Juneteenth a state holiday, but the Legislature has failed to adopt legislation approving the measure during the past two legislative sessions.
“Dayton is proud to have joined a handful of cities in the Commonwealth in recognizing this important holiday,” Baker said. “It is our hope that other Kentucky cities and the Kentucky General Assembly itself will join us in honoring this monumental day. We can’t rest until the promise of equality is fulfilled for every person in every corner of our communities, states, and nation.”
