Juneteenth Is Now An Official Maine Holiday
Juneteenth. It was a holiday that from what I remember reading on social media, a lot of people had never heard of until 2020. It is a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery and has been celebrated by many since the 1800s.
In 2020, more Americans became aware of Juneteenth as, along with the pandemic, there was more attention paid to racial tensions.
Recently, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed a bill making Juneteenth, June 19th, an official holiday in the state of Maine. Since the bill does not go into effect until 90 days after the lawmakers adjourn, the holiday will not be officially recognized in Maine until June 19th, 2022.
Centralmaine.com shares that there has been an effort to make Juneteenth a national holiday, but that has not happened at this point.
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