By Janelle Martinez
Yesterday, the Black Democratic Legislative Caucus of Colorado and advocates held a public hearing on Senate Bill-139, legislation recognizing Juneteenth as the eleventh state holiday in Colorado. The bill is sponsored by Sen. James Coleman, Sen. Janet Buckner, and Rep. Leslie Herod.
Following The Black Democratic Legislative Caucus of Colorado Public Hearing, Senate Bill-139 was heard in the Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee, where members voted unanimously to place the bill on the consent calendar.
Members of Colorado Workers for Innovative and New Solutions (CO-WINS), the state employees union, negotiated their historic first contract with the State of Colorado last year. Workers won a provision in the nogationation to make Juneteenth a state holiday. Today, representatives of the union spoke at the public hearing, alongside members of the public.
“Juneteenth has long been celebrated in Black communities as America’s second independence day, but most Americans still know little or nothing about the history and celebration of the day,” said Rep. Herod. “Today we heard from the people of Colorado about why it is so critical to rectify that. June 19th should be celebrated and hailed as a monumental and historic day by Coloradans, and that’s exactly what this bill aims to do. We wouldn’t be here without the advocacy of Colorado WINS, and every person who testified before the committee today and pushed hard for recognition of Juneteenth as a state holiday.”
“Juneteenth is a holiday meant to celebrate freedom and hope,” said Sen. Janet Buckner. “In many ways Juneteenth represents how freedom and justice in the U.S. has always been delayed. Juneteenth is for all people, not just African Americans.”
“Celebrating Juneteenth tells Coloradans that we recognize not just how far we’ve come as both a state and a nation – but how close we are,” said Sen. James Coleman. “Recognizing Juneteenth as a state holiday is the first of many steps towards a more prosperous future for all Coloradans.”
“Juneteenth celebrates the day that all Americans were free,” said Norman Harris, president of the Juneteenth Music Festival Corporation. “Recognizing it as a state holiday gives our community the opportunity to acknowledge and more fully understand the impacts of slavery and systemic racism,while fostering community healing through celebration of our African American culture. We are proud to stand with our leaders today to advocate for Juneteenth to become a state holiday.”
“I’m thrilled to be standing here today with our amazing bill sponsors, who are working to pass legislation to make Juneteenth a state holiday,” said Skip Miller, an IT Specialist at the Colorado School of Mines and the President of Colorado WINS. “This is a critical part of our broader commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and movement to increase fairness and equality in our state agencies.”
“I know unions are how we could make a real difference – working people coming together as one to win better jobs for state employees, and better public services for Coloradans,” said Tanesha McQueen, Youth Service Specialist at Marvin Foote Youth Service Center. “I’m proud to see our work from the negotiating table start to pay off with this bill.”
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Soldiers, led by Major General Gordan Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced the end of the Civil War and declared that more than 250,000 enslaved Black people were free.