NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Last year, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an Executive Order recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday for state employees.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 when news that slaves had been freed came to Texas more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The celebration has also come to mark Black and African American achievements.
This year, the Niagara Falls School district will observe the holiday on Friday, June 18 and all schools and offices will be closed.
"I am incredibly proud to declare Juneteenth as an official holiday in the Niagara Falls City School District," said Niagara Falls City School District Superintendent Mark Laurrie. "This new school holiday will serve as a day to recognize the achievements of the black community. It will provide an important opportunity for self-reflection on the systemic injustices that our society still faces today."
