Juneteenth, which marks the effective end of slavery in the United States, will become an official holiday in the country’s largest city beginning next year, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared Friday.
Juneteenth has added significance and urgency this year, coming amid weeks of large anti-racism and anti-police-brutality protests in cities across the country — including in New York City — in response to the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and other Black people over the years.
Slavery was alive and well in New York City for a long time.
Earlier this week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) designated Juneteenth a paid holiday for state government employees and said he plans to make it an official state holiday next year.
In New York City, organizers held a range of events, including a march from Harlem to Central Park, a rally at the Brooklyn Museum and a march and bike ride across the Brooklyn Bridge, among many other gatherings planned for the day.
