Saturday marks the nation’s first and Pennsylvania’s second official observance of Juneteenth, which is a decision being applauded by state lawmakers.
As we reported yesterday, state offices will be observing the holiday today since it falls on a Saturday. State Senator Sharif Street of Philadelphia explains what the holiday means.
“Juneteenth is a day in which we celebrate the emancipation of the final slaves of Galveston, Texas on June 19th 1865,” Street said. “On that day, the message of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the nation’s final slaves, and those slaves were freed in Galveston, Texas.”
Street also says that he hopes that state residents will mark the new holiday.
“Acknowledge how we’ve come as a country and it shows the great potential that we have to grow as Americans and as Pennsylvanians,” Street said.
Since state offices are closed Friday, that means the DMV will not be open throughout the weekend.
