Greensboro Makes Juneteenth A Paid Holiday For City Employees

Greensboro's city council unanimously voted Tuesday night to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for city employees starting next year.

City Councilwoman Sharon Hightower proposed the idea. 

“We have a long way to go in eradicating discrimination and racism," said Hightower. "And I think if we celebrate Juneteenth, it gives us an opportunity to have those discussions among each other, city employees, and begin to educate one another about the disparities we face.”

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day enslaved Black people in Texas learned they were free, two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. 

Greensboro joins the city of Raleigh, the town of Carrboro, and Wake County in making the day an official government holiday.