OLYMPIA – As Juneteenth approaches, state Rep. Melanie Morgan (D-Parkland) is available to speak with members of the media on June 15 and 17 from 1-3 p.m. via phone or Zoom about a bill she introduced and passed to make Juneteenth a legal state holiday.
Morgan serves as both deputy majority floor leader and chair of the Members of Color Caucus (MOCC). The MOCC, whose members make up one-third of the House Democratic Caucus, seeks to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic processes and provide equity, access and opportunity for all communities of color.
Passing the Juneteenth bill was a legislative priority for the MOCC.
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Who: State Rep. Melanie Morgan
What: Opportunity for interviews to discuss the importance of passing legislation that makes Juneteenth a state holiday — a chance for Washington state to move forward with racial reconciliation and healing and acknowledge the atrocity of chattel slavery — and why we should celebrate this holiday together.
Where: Phone or Zoom
When: June 15 and 17 from 1-3 p.m.
History of Juneteenth:
On June 19, 1865, two and half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, news finally reached Galveston, Texas, that all enslaved people were now released from the bondage of slavery. Juneteenth became an unofficial holiday in Black communities, with little participation or awareness by white Americans and even stifled by local officials and businesses. During the civil rights movement, Juneteenth started to become more common, and has since been recognized as a ceremonial holiday by states. However, only a handful of states officially recognize Juneteenth as a recurring legal state holiday that provides paid time off for state employees.
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