Multnomah County Declares Juneteenth A Paid Holiday For All County Staff

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Meerah Powell

Published June 13, 2020 at 9:15 AM PDT

<p>Issued by Abraham Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation officially freed enslaved people in the United States. But in areas controlled by the Confederacy, that freedom was not granted. More than two years later, on June 18, 1865, a Union general read orders in Galveston, Texas, announcing that all previously enslaved people were free. Juneteenth celebrations arose from that event.</p>
<p> </p> — Issued by Abraham Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation officially freed enslaved people in the United States. But in areas controlled by the Confederacy, that freedom was not granted. More than two years later, on June 18, 1865, a Union general read orders in Galveston, Texas, announcing that all previously enslaved people were free. Juneteenth celebrations arose from that event.

Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury on Friday designated Juneteenth as an annual paid holiday for all county employees.

“We have a profound responsibility at the county to acknowledge that the structural inequities in our community and country are rooted in the original enslavement of Black people,” Kafoury said in a statement.

“Observing the day of Black liberation honors the historic and current struggle, acknowledges the strength of our Black neighbors, friends and family, and reminds us of the hard and necessary work we must continue to dismantle systems of oppression,” she continued.

Multnomah County follows a recent surge of businesses and agencies around the country that have made the decision to designate Juneteenth as a paid holiday. Nike, headquartered in Beaverton, made the designation earlier this week.

Kafoury said she hopes county staff use the day for “respite and renewal” but also as a chance to learn more about local and national Black history as well as to support Black businesses.