Juneteenth Recognized As Holiday In Anne Arundel

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Anne Arundel County will recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday this year. The June 19 commemoration honors the end of slavery in America.

"Juneteenth is a perfect example of freedom being a constant struggle," said Harold "Mo" Lloyd, President of the Anne Arundel County NAACP’s Youth Division. "Those enslaved individuals showed and preserved the characteristics of resiliency and determination."

County Executive Steuart Pittman signed an order Wednesday making the move official. His mandate only affects this year, however. He plans to introduce future legislation to make Juneteenth a permanent county holiday.

"Thank you County Executive Pittman for your vision and commitment to our County," Anne Arundel County NAACP President Jacqueline Allsup added in a press release. "You have made the citizens of our County more aware of the challenges faced by the African American. Recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday is a historical event."

Juneteenth remembers June 19, 1865, the date of freedom for the last people who were enslaved. Former President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation three years earlier, but the Confederate states still allowed slavery until Union soldiers took control of the South. Juneteenth marks the day the Union troops freed the last people who were enslaved in Texas.

"Celebrating Juneteenth as an official County holiday demonstrates our county’s true commitment to freedom and equality - for all," Pittman commented. "The growing national push for observance of Juneteenth is an important step as we move forward toward justice for this community, in light of centuries of racism, discrimination, and inequity."

County offices will be closed on Friday, June 18 in observance of Saturday's holiday.

Annapolis will host Maryland's first Juneteenth festival on June 18 and June 19. The event will include a parade through the state capital.

"Juneteenth being a county holiday is one of the many milestones we will celebrate as a black community from this moment forward," concluded Phyllis "Tee" Adams, executive director of the Annapolis Juneteenth Planning Committee. "A day to honor our ancestors for their fight for freedom, educating our diverse community as we celebrate legacies and accomplishments that will be forever ingrained in history."

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