Demetrus Coonrod
The City Council is expected to vote May 11 to make Juneteenth Independence Day the 12th paid holiday for city employees.
Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod had urged passage of the new holiday last year, but the council then only passed a resolution commemorating the day.
She again brought it up this year, and former Councilman Jerry Mitchell and Vice Chairman Ken Smith both voiced support.
Councilwoman Coonrod initially said, "Black people just don't have a holiday for us." Later she said she misspoke and said the holiday "should be important for all of us.
It's inclusive to all people."
She said, "I am black and I embrace my blackness because it is my cultural heritage."
Juneteenth is a holiday on June 19 celebrating the emancipation of freed slaves in the U.S. It is also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation Day.
The city finance office was asked to calculate the cost of the move. Officials said it would involve $65,000 in overtime pay for essential workers and $628,000 in lost productivity.
It would not take effect this June 19 because it has not yet been budgeted.
The first Juneteenth day off for city employees would be in 2022.
Current city paid holidays are New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day.