Michigan Senate OKs bill making Juneteenth a state holiday
In bipartisan fashion, the state Senate on Wednesday approved legislation to make Juneteenth, a holiday widely celebrated by Black Americans for years, an official holiday in Michigan.
State Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) was the only vote against Senate Bill 50, sponsored by Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit). A call by the Advance to Runestad’s office was not immediately returned.
“I have been working on this issue throughout my time in the Senate. I am honored to carry on the great work of my legislative predecessors and am so proud to see this bill pass the full Senate — and nearly unanimously,” Santana told the Advance on Wednesday.
Juneteenth recognizes the date in which slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom on June 19, 1865 — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
The bill would designate June 19 of each year as a state-recognized, public holiday. It “brings Juneteenth on par with our state and federal holidays as a bank and judiciary holiday in the state,” according to Alex Rossman, a state Senate spokesman.
https://michiganadvance.com/blog/michigan-senate-oks-bill-making-juneteenth-a-state-holiday/