Mayor Lyda Krewson signed a proclamation on Thursday, making it official.
Krewson says, "The City of St. Louis recognizes this important holiday as an opportunity for the City to educate residents about African American heritage and honor their lives, sacrifices, and many contributions to this country. Citywide recognition of this day will provide an opportunity to unify all St. Louisans against racism,?
KMOX's previous reporting:
The president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen says he'll introduce a resolution Friday to make "Juneteenth Independence Day" a paid city holiday. It follows the decision by St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page to make June 19, 2020 – a day marking the anniversary of the end of slavery in U.S. – an official holiday in the county,
Aldermanic President Lewis Reed stated, "This Friday, I will be introducing Resolution 20 alongside members of the Black Caucus to make Juneteenth Independence Day a paid City holiday." The next full Board of Alderman meeting is scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m.
Juneteenth commemorates the abolition of slavery in the U.S.
Reed shared a copy of the resolution on Facebook:
Target, Nike, the NFL, Twitter, Square and other corporations observing Juneteenth as a holiday this year too.