Reader Response: Readers split on Juneteenth holiday

Jun. 21—The Free Press

Area respondents are effectively split on making Juneteenth, the annual date celebrating the emancipation of Black slaves right after the Civil War, into a national holiday according to a Free Press online question.

Out of 339 total respondents, 171 voters say they support adding Juneteenth a federal holiday. Another 168 voters opposed the move.

President Joe Biden signed the new holiday into law last week while communities across the nation celebrated on Saturday. The holiday is the culmination of years of advocacy to acknowledge the longest-running Black holiday in the U.S.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Southern states.

Mankato marked the occasion with a community event focused on Black-owned businesses next to the civic center.

The Free Press online question, sent out Friday, asked, "Do you support adding Juneteenth as a federal holiday?"

There were two options to answer, "yes" or "no."

A majority of commenters said they took issue with adding another federal holiday because it give workers another day off. Others thought Juneteenth, the name of the holiday, didn't clearly explain why people should celebrate it. Some commenters agreed with adding Juneteenth as a holiday, saying it was time to acknowledge the role slaves played in U.S. history.

"Just another day off for federal employees," William Ulrich wrote. "Let's get back to the basic. I am sick tired putting up with the dumb democrats handing out money for not working."

Steven Hanson wrote, "We have added another federal holiday building up to a total of 12 now. I feel that we should have removed Presidents Day from the list and kept the total number of federal holidays static. It seems that the federal government is in the business of always adding and not subtracting."

"How does the name of this holiday have any application to the meaning?" Douglas Schaller wrote. "How does Juneteenth as a name, which is simply short for June 19, tell a story? Every other holiday has a name that pertains to the meaning of the day — Independence Day, Christmas Day, President's Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, etc. A few states already have Emancipation Day as holidays on the days the slaves were freed in each state."

Dave Johnson wrote, "I agree with commemorating the day, but I disagree with the title. By being 'cute' with Juneteenth I think we miss the significance. Emancipation Day defines what we are trying to recognize in our history."

Harry Jenness wrote, "It is time to honor the freeing of the slaves. This is part of our history and we need to not let slavery happen again."

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