New Yorkers officially have one more paid day off

Juntins - a day to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States - is now an official New York City holiday, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday. New York Post.

“As the second black mayor of New York, I know I stand on the shoulders of countless heroes and heroes/ They risked their lives to ensure a better world,” he said in a statement. “Now is the time for me to play my part and admit one of the greatest mistakes of our nation.”

Paid time off is enforced by a staffing order from the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, a City Hall spokesman said. The order will apply to all city workers. A City Hall spokesman predicted the holiday would cost the city government about $150 million a year.

Last year, Congress passed legislation making Juntins, which falls on June 19, a federal holiday. A day later, then-incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that June XNUMX would become an official holiday in the Empire State.

After the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020 brought renewed attention to the historic oppression of black Americans, private businesses have also begun celebrating June XNUMXth. And some firms have made it a paid corporate holiday.

In 2021, the end of slavery was marked across the country with a series of parades. Including the unveiling of a statue of George Floyd in Brooklyn. The landmarks of New York were illuminated in red, black and green.

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One of America's oldest holidays, it marks the official end of slavery in the US in 1865. Union troops then arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform the last remaining Confederates that they had lost the Civil War. Therefore, all slaves must be freed.

“Juntins is a time for reflection, evaluation and self-improvement. People across the country of all races, nationalities and religions come together on this day to honestly recognize the taint of slavery and celebrate the countless contributions of black Americans, the mayor said in a Monday morning press release. “The time has come for our city to finally do the right thing and officially declare June XNUMXth a city holiday.”

“This decision is long overdue, which is why it will immediately enter into force this year,” he added. "Holding a mirror of our nation's past atrocities is never easy, but necessary."

In June 2021, Juntins became the 12th federal holiday and the first new holiday created since Martin Luther King Jr. The day was established in 1983.