Hawaii close to becoming latest state to honor Juneteenth

By Teddy Grant Published: April 28, 2021

Hawaii close to becoming latest state to honor Juneteenth

A statue depicting a man holding the state law that made Juneteenth a state holiday in Galveston, Texas. The inscription on the statue reads "On June 19, 1865, at the close of the Civil War, U.S. Army General Gordon Granger issued an order in Galveston stating that the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation was in effect. That event, later known as "Juneteenth," marked the end of slavery in Texas. Celebrated as a day of freedom since then, Juneteenth grew into an international commemoration and in 1979 became an official Texas holiday through the efforts of State Representative Albert (AL) Edwards of Houston." (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Hawaii is on the verge of becoming the 49th state to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday, according to NBC News.

The state’s House and Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would make June 19 a state holiday. Juneteenth observes the end of slavery in the United States.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige has not made clear if he plans to sign the bill into law. If he does, South Dakota would be the only state in the nation that doesn’t recognize June 19 as a state holiday, NBC News reported.

The founder and director of the Popolo Project, a Hawaii-based nonprofit organization that explores Blackness in Hawaii, told NBC that the bill would honor Black Hawaiin’s ancestors.

“There’s a recognition that we’re here and that we’re part of Hawaii,” Akiemi Glenn told NBC News.

The renewed push to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday or national day of observance began last year following the racial uprising denouncing police brutality and inequality in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.