Last year, Governor Ralph Northam proposed legislation to make Juneteenth, celebrated June 19, an official state holiday. In accordance with the Governor’s direction that all executive branch state offices close for Juneteenth, Southwest Virginia Community College began observing this holiday as well.
This year, President Joe Biden will sign the Juneteenth Independence Day Act, establishing June 19 as a federal holiday.
Today @POTUS will sign the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, establishing June 19th as a federal holiday. As the 19th falls on a Saturday, most federal employees will observe the holiday tomorrow, June 18th.
— U.S. Office of Personnel Management (@USOPM) June 17, 2021
For those unfamiliar with Juneteenth, it celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. It is also known as Emancipation Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation came 2½ years earlier on January 1, 1863, many slave owners continued to hold their slaves captive after the announcement, so Juneteenth became a symbolic date representing African American freedom.
Southwest Virginia Community College will be closed on Friday, June 18, 2021 in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. Join us and our local community on Saturday, June 19, 2021 for a Juneteenth Freedom Celebration! The event will take place at MiniPark on Main Street in Tazewell, VA. Speakers, singers, poets, and a parade will take place between 11 AM and 1 PM. Other festivities including food, music, displays, and more will continue until around 2 PM.
