Federal employees to get Friday off as Biden signs legislation making Juneteenth a national holiday

[Grins]

Source: Washington Post

"President Biden, having returned to the White House from his first trip abroad as president, plans Thursday to sign into law a bill creating a federal holiday to commemorate Juneteenth, the day marking the end of slavery in Texas. Because June 19 falls on a Saturday this year, most federal employees will get this Friday off."


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/17/joe-biden-live-updates/

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"...marking the end of slavery IN TEXAS." Imagine a federal holiday commemorating something that happened in a single state. Imagine being remembered for that.

[DavidDvorkin]

1. As I remember, the slaves in Texas were the last to be freed

That's why that day became the celebration of the end of slavery.

[oldsoftie]

9. Thats exactly the reason.

[marybourg]

2. It happened in every state. It just wasn't as well documented

and memorialized in every state. Enslaved people in every state were notified that the emancipation proclamation had been signed and that they were free.

[mopinko]

4. except in texas it took 2 yrs to get the news.

the last. the actual end.

[displacedtexan]

7. They taught us in school that it took a verrrrrrry long time to get the news.

They also neglected to teach us that the Alamo was defended by paid mercenaries.

[Dream Girl]

3. Will we get mail delivery on Saturday?

Just wondering…

[BumRushDaShow]

15. Yes because the holiday will be celebrated on Friday

which won't impact Saturday's mail.

[RobinA]

5. I Always Wondered

why there wasn't an Emancipation Proclamation Day.

[JT45242]

6. Because nothing happened when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued..

It only freed slaves in states that were at war with the USA. So, it in fact did nothing when Lincoln issued it because the target was people who did not recognize his authority.

However, when the south LOST (although we treat them like they won), it was used as part of the thrust for the civil War amendments which granted equal protection and ended slavery.

So, Juneteenth became the symbol because that is when the goal of ending slavery was theoretically reached (if we ignored forced labor in prisons for blacks who were convicted of bogus crimes).

[WHITT]

8. I Always Thought

fed holidays were positioned on the closest Monday, except the few that don't move.

[COL Mustard]

12. If A Holiday Falls On Saturday, We Get The Friday Off

If it falls on a Sunday, we get the Monday off. It sounds like this one will be a fixed holiday (June 19th), so we'll get the actual day if it falls on a workday. Still a lot of details to be worked out and not a lot of time to do them.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. I know the poor timekeepers are going ballistic!

[WHITT]

21. Ah

So it's a one-off, then it will be fixed. OK.

[BumRushDaShow]

26. It probably won't be a "one-off"

There are several federal holidays that have fixed dates like Christmas Day (December 25), New Year's Day (January 1), Independence Day (July 4) and Veteran's Day (formerly "Armistice Day" - November 11) and they float through the days of the week but if they occur on a weekend, then they are actually "administratively celebrated" (federal offices closed) on either the Friday before (if occurring on a Saturday) or the Monday after (if occurring on a Sunday) that date.

[WHITT]

29. Already Aware Or Fixed Fed Holidays

and that's not what I meant by 'one-off'.

[BumRushDaShow]

30. Okay

What is so different from the last time (MLK one) was that the MLK holiday didn't go into effect until 3 years after the law was signed, where this happened literally the next day! And I know agency managers (I used to be one myself) and admin staff were going nuts yesterday, and from experience, so many "HQ" (D.C. metro) GS-1000s like their Friday meetings, and this pretty much torpedoed those.

None of the timekeeping systems have that holiday listed because, well, it just appeared out of nowhere with full passage and signature this week.

I'm still in the stage at the moment even though I am retired from fed service. No moaning about "there will only be 10 federal holidays no matter what". Just boom!

[WHITT]

31. Amazing

how fast Congress and the federal bureaucracy can move when they need to, eh?

[BumRushDaShow]

32. Well I think the shock is the legislative branch's quick action

meanwhile I know the Executive (outside of the President) is like WTF?

Only thing that might mitigate the administrative nightmare initially is that Presidents sometimes do full day off administrative leave so there is at least that category that could have been used as a placeholder for time cards (it's also used if a former President dies and the government is shutdown for the state funeral events).

[oldsoftie]

10. Great; the govt gets another day off.

I think its wonderful to finally give Juneteenth a special day of celebration, but the government gets enough days off. And by extension, will banks shut down as well?

[DavidDvorkin]

11. No, the government does not get enough days off

The real problem is that the private sector gets far too few days off.

[happy feet]

25. This!

[Skittles]

28. you got THAT right

federal employees were already getting twice as many holidays as me

[NutmegYankee]

16. Its a holiday in 47 states already, so Banks might already close.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. "Imagine a federal holiday commemorating...

a guy who never 'discovered America'".

[left-of-center2012]

17. Will there be more federal holidays declared ?

I'm thinking there are, or were, people supporting other days to be commemorated.
What might some be ?

And I'd like to see Biden put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.
Trump pushed that aside.

[Dream Girl]

18. Wasnt that Harriet Tubman on the $20?

[left-of-center2012]

19. ooops

Right

I think SBA is on a dollar coin ?

[Dream Girl]

20. yes. thats what I recall/ I think they may still be in circulation, but I haven't seen them in years

[IronLionZion]

22. Lincoln freed the slaves 2 years prior

and Texas decided to just not tell their slaves for 2 years until the Union Army rolled in and freed them by order. Native Americans, especially Choctaw, weren't freed in the territories until a year later.

[left-of-center2012]

23. "Texas decided to just not tell their slaves"

I'm guessing no Confederate state told their slaves.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

24. Understood, but from Texas' point of view, ...

... the Imancipation Proclamation was issued by the president of a foreign country, hardly applicable.

Dec 6 might have been a better date. On Dec 6, 1865, Georgia approved the 13th amendment, giving it enough states' endorsements to make it part of the constitution.

I wonder about the constitutionality of the Imancipation Proclamation, since it only freed slaves in the seceding states, leaving the issue to each state remaining in the Union.

Anyway, Happy Juneteenth, everyone!

[IronLionZion]

27. Delaware and Kentucky still kept their slaves until Dec 6

so that date might be great but black Americans have lobbied for a long time to get June 19th. I don't want to speculate as to their reasons since Dec 7 is Pearl Harbor day and will live in infamy.