McKee to sign legislation to recognize Juneteenth as an official state holiday

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island will recognize Juneteenth as an official state holiday starting next year.

Gov. Dan McKee is set to sign legislation on Monday that will mark Juneteenth as an official holiday.

Juneteenth, observed on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery after the Civil War.

Communities across the state celebrated the holiday over the weekend. The Rhode Island Slave History Medallions were joined by Sen. Jack Reed in a celebration in Newport on Sunday.

“Juneteenth represents the point at which we began to recognize the fact that we had to work everyday to ensure the promise that freedom, liberty, and justice is a promise for all Americans, not just some Americans,” Reed said. “We cannot achieve this freedom and equality in the future if we neglect the past, if we forget the past.”

Reed had a role in the passing of the Juneteenth Independence Day Act , which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021.