KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners has decided to postpone the decision on making Juneteenth a paid County holiday for its employees.
That decision was discussed during a virtual meeting Tuesday night. The holiday, which celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, was recently made federal by President Joe Biden earlier this year.
County documents state the following on this agenda item:
“On Thursday, June 17, 2021, President Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, enshrining June 19 as the national day to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
In 1863, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that slaves living in Confederate states to be free. More than two years would pass, however, before the news reached African-Americans living in Texas.
It was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger in Galveston, Texas issued General Order No. 3, which announced that in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation, ‘all slaves are free.’
The following year, on June 19, the first official Juneteenth celebrations took place in Texas. Within a few years, African Americans in other states were celebrating the day as well, making it an annual tradition.”
Should the matter be passed, employees of Kalamazoo County would have Juneteenth as a paid holiday.
Commissioner Mike Quinn was in favor of passing the motion.
“I think this would be a good way to actually thank our employees with an extra day off,” Quinn said. “In addition to the significance of the holiday, recognizing this I think will be at least a small step toward recognizing a very significant historical event.”
However, the motion to postpone a decision was raised by Commission Monteze Morales, who said a paid day off isn’t enough for reparations in racial relations.
“It was brought in by President Biden, but I don’t think people realize the backlash that he got for putting a band-aid over a bigger issue when it comes to Juneteenth,” Morales said. “In our past, we’ve dealt with not really supporting reparations. When it comes to voting, when it comes to gerrymandering, I just don’t see that we’re ready to push this forward.”
She suggested putting the decision in the hands of the County Reparations Task Force and talk about the Juneteenth holiday at a later date.
Commissioner Veronica McKissack was in agreement with Morales. She said the notion of the day off appeared to be “visual,” and not an actual push for more equity in the community.
Commissioner Quinn said that he would still be voting in favor of making Juneteenth a county holiday, saying that doing so would create more awareness around its purpose.
“I would like to admit that until a few years ago, I didn’t even know what Juneteenth was about,” Quinn said. “I think it’s wonderful the administration has proposed this, not only to reward our employees for the hard work, and I think doing this will raise awareness of the holiday and what it really means.”
Ultimately, the motion to postpone the matter and refer it for consideration of the Reparations Task Force was passed seven to four.
The task force is now expected to make a recommendation to Commissioners on whether or not to make Juneteenth a paid County holiday, at which time further action will be taken.
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