Wake becomes 1st in NC to declare Juneteenth a paid county holiday
Wake County leaders acknowledged systemic racism, declared it a “public health crisis” and made Juneteenth a paid county holiday during a virtual meeting Monday.
Members of the Wake County Board of Commissioners cheered and clapped after the votes. Commissioner James West raised a fist in celebration.
“Wake County has just declared racism as a public health crisis and acknowledged our shared duty to address it.,” Commissioner Jessica Holmes said during the votes.
“And in just a moment Wake County is about to from now until indefinitely declare June 19 as Juneteenth in this county. That in and of itself is worthy of celebration,” she continued. “To anyone who says that we are pandering or that this is just a piece of paper, the first step in addressing institutional and systemic racism is first acknowledging it and acknowledging we play a role in it. And that we have to play a role in fixing it.”
Next steps include:
- Reviewing the names of all county buildings and any county statues to ensure they aren’t named after someone “inappropriate,” Holmes said.
- Providing funds for the county’s infant mortality task force to ensure Black babies aren’t dying at twice the rate of white babies.
- Funding more social workers in the Wake County Public School System.
- Organizing a public awareness campaign to prevent evictions when the moratorium is lifted.
Juneteenth is the annual day celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States.
Wake County is the first county in North Carolina to declare it a holiday for its employees, the county said in a news release.
Wake County has more than 4,000 employees, and the cost of adding the holiday, which passed unanimously, will be about $544,428 per year.
Juneteenth around the Triangle
The city of Raleigh will also vote to recognize Juneteenth as an official city holiday, said City Council member Corey Branch. He plans to bring the item up during the council’s Tuesday meeting.
“It’s something I have thought about the past couple of years, but it’s all about timing,” he said. “This is a council that’s open to adding this holiday.”
Raleigh would not be the first Triangle municipality to make Juneteenth a local holiday. The Hillsborough Town Board voted June 29 to make it an official town holiday, adding it to the nine holidays the town already observes with paid time off for employees.
The Hillsborough resolution was brought forward by Town Commissioner Matt Hughes, who worked on it with Mayor Pro Tem Mark Bell, and passed unanimously, Mayor Jenn Weaver said. The resolution also urged state and federal lawmakers to sponsor legislation for official state and federal observance.
The Carrboro Town Council hopes to discuss making Juneteenth a town holiday at an upcoming meeting, Mayor Lydia Lavelle said Monday The Orange County Board of Commissioners also could discuss it when members return from summer break in September, Chair Penny Rich said Monday.
And Mayor Pam Hemminger said the Chapel Hill Town Council will discuss the idea and others this fiscal year. “We want community input on this and all ideas about how to honor our true past and make real changes in eradicating systemic racism,” she said in an email Monday.
The Town of Chapel Hill observes eight holidays, with 11 days of paid leave. Town employees get two days off for Thanksgiving, and three for the Christmas/Winter holiday, according to spokesman Ran Northam.
The Durham County Board of Commissioners will discuss adding Juneteenth to its holidays later this year, according to Chair Wendy Jacobs. The News & Observer was not able to reach members of the Durham City Council by phone and email Monday afternoon.
Staff writers Mark Schultz and Charlie Innis contributed to this story.
This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Wake becomes 1st in NC to declare Juneteenth a paid county holiday."
