By Sentinel Staff
Juneteenth, June 19, is now a federal holiday, and while U.S. Government agencies in Sitka are observing it, because of the short notice they’re staying open for business.
President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act Thursday following bipartisan approval by Congress.
At U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, Lt. Cmdr. Will Sirokman confirmed that the Coast Guard was marking the new holiday.
“We are observing it today because it’s a federal holiday,” he said “It was a quick turnaround, so we observe the red letter holidays, the federal holidays… We have our duty crew here and people on duty, but it was like any of the other federal holidays.”
It was much the same at the U.S. Post Office, where the new holiday will be noted as per official notice but it’ll be business – and hours – as usual because of the short notice.
At Sitka National Historical Park, word was received from the Department of the Interior that the holiday is to be observed. However, the park and visitor center are open as usual, and Emily Zivot, acting interpretive program manager, said “no special activities are planned – this year.”
It was business as usual today at city hall, too. Administrative Coordinator Holly Dennison told the Sentinel that the Assembly must vote on whether to observe a new federal holiday on the city level.
“For our holidays to change in the personnel policies it has to go before the Assembly,” Dennison said, adding that the policies will be reviewed in the year before Juneteenth rolls around again.
Juneteenth is a synthesis of “June” and “nineteenth.” On that day in 1865 Union troops in Galveston, Texas, proclaimed the end of slavery, a full two months after the surrender of the Confederacy and more than two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which nominally ended slavery in rebellious states.
