Hidalgo: 'Juneteenth is now officially a Harris County holiday'

Juneteenth was named a federal holiday on June 17, but it’s also an official holiday in Harris County, and Judge Lina Hidalgo wants people to know how significant it is.

In a June 29 tweet, Hidalgo wrote: “Not all federal holidays are adopted by Harris County as a day to observe among county employees. Juneteenth is now officially a Harris County holiday. Incredibly proud our employees can formally join the celebration of freedom that started right down the road in Galveston, Texas.”

Long recognized as an important day to black Americans, Juneteenth’s origins go back to the arrival of Union General Gordon Granger and a group of federal forces in Galveston. It was June 19, 1865, when Granger read the Emancipation Proclamation aloud, essentially declaring Texas' enslaved population free.

On June 17, President Joe Biden signed the bill into law that made Juneteenth the 12 federal holiday, and the first since 1983. Sen. John Cornryn (R-Texas) and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston) wrote the bill that was signed into law last month.

“I hope this is the beginning of a change in the way we deal with one another,” Biden said when he signed the bill.

There were celebrations all week long, both virtually and in Houston’s Emancipation Park, to mark the holiday this year. During the week, there were webinars, a community meal and musical performances as well. Facebook live events to help kids get active were also part of this year’s Juneteenth celebration in Emancipation Park.

On June 17, Hidalgo tweeted that she had planned to raise the idea of designating Juneteenth as a Harris County holiday.

"The long-delayed emancipation of slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865 is a momentous occasion to celebrate and observe as Emancipation Day," Hidalgo said. "At our next Harris County Commissioners Court meeting, I intend to introduce the designation of Juneteenth as an official county holiday."