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Push made to have Juneteenth recognized as holiday in City of Tonawanda

Erie County Democratic Chair Jeremy Zellner asked for city offices to be closed Monday to observe Juneteenth, which became a federally observed holiday in 2021.

CITY OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. — With Juneteenth not being recognized as a holiday in the City of Tonawanda on Monday, some local leaders led a call to action.

During a Sunday news conference held at City Hall, Erie County Democratic Chair and Jeremy Zellner, who was born and raised in the city and currently lives there, called on the city's mayor, John White, to properly observe Juneteenth and asked for city offices to be closed Monday. 

Juneteenth became a federally observed holiday in 2021.

“Mayor White claims that labor contracts prevent him from enacting a Juneteenth holiday, but that is not a credible reason to avoid doing the right thing. Any such issues should have been worked out in advance, not raised on the eve of the holiday itself,” Zellner said. “Especially at a moment when (Tonawanda's) neighboring City of Buffalo has suffered a horrific, racist hate crime, the failure to honor this milestone is unconscionable."

He added: “Last June, President Biden signed legislation establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, which New York had already done on a state level in October 2020. And the reason is simple: Juneteenth commemorates a monumental moment in American history that stands with July 4 as a declaration of independence, liberty, and equality for every citizen protected by our Constitution."

During Sunday's press conference Zellner said, "the City of Tonawanda School District is closed (Monday). They sent out a beautiful message laying out Juneteenth, explaining why we celebrate, and why it's so critically important. City Court here at city hall is closed (Monday) in observance of Juneteenth. Yet we're still doing business as usual as the City of Tonawanda."

Erie County comptroller and another longtime resident of the city Kevin Hardwick also called on White to "do the right thing."

"It should only take about two minutes to determine that this is the right thing to do, and I do believe that my friend, the mayor of the City of Tonawanda, John White, will in the end do the right thing, and I hope that he does it sooner rather than later," Hardwick said.

Juneteenth recognizes that day in 1865 when Union troops arrived at Galveston Bay, Texas, after the Civil War. Enslaved people in the Confederate states were declared legally free with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

But the proclamation couldn't be enforced in places still under Confederate control. For the enslaved people of Texas, freedom wouldn't come until after the end of the Civil War. 

On June 19, 1865, Union Major Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in Galveston Bay, announcing that the quarter million enslaved Black people in Texas were free by executive decree.

White released a statement on Saturday night, announcing that "we are a diverse and inclusive community" and that the city would recognize Juneteenth with a ceremony at 9 a.m. Monday.

He said he supports recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday in that statement:

Prior to my administration taking office there was a memorandum of understanding that was agreed upon with our union partners recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday. That memorandum of understanding expired prior to my administration taking office.

Since I took office this year, I have had monthly meetings with union officials in the City in preparation for our upcoming contract negotiations. Our dialogue has been positive and focused on a move forward strategy with adding Juneteenth as a holiday. I fully support recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday and look forward to continuing the dialogue with my team.

I have spoken to several municipalities leaders who are also in negotiations regarding Juneteenth.

The mayor had another statement on Sunday, embedded in the tweet below:

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