City of Nashville to make Juneteenth a paid holiday

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April 13, 2022

By Jeroslyn Johnson, Black Enterprise

A protestor holds a sign about the significance of Juneteenth (Twitter/@TheHill)

In recognition of Juneteenth becoming an official holiday in Nashville, the city will offer it as a paid holiday to residents.

On Tuesday, the Metro Civil Service Commission (CSC) granted approval to recognize Juneteenth as a formal Metro holiday for all civil service status employees, WKRN reported.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper will join members of the CSC on Thursday to sign the directive.

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. It was first celebrated in Texas on June 19, 1865, when slaves were made aware that they were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation after the Civil War.

Learn more about Nashville’s efforts to make Juneteeth a citywide holiday.

Read about how Juneteenth became a federal holiday. Discover the loaded meaning of another holiday, July 4th, for many black Americans.

Keep up to date with more racial justice news.

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