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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Clayton Muhammad, Chief Equity Officer
DATE: Friday, January 28, 2022
SUBJECT:
A Resolution designating Juneteenth as a paid holiday for City of Aurora employees.
PURPOSE:
To designate Juneteenth as a paid holiday for City of Aurora employees, beginning in June 2022.
BACKGROUND:
In June 2021, Juneteenth was signed into law as both a federal holiday and a state holiday in Illinois, marking the culmination of a decades-long process to recognize June 19, 1865, as the official end of slavery in the United States of America.
DISCUSSION:
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, nearly two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Juneteenth - a portmanteau of June and nineteenth - is a holiday celebrating the liberation of those held as enslaved people in the United States.
Under the new federal law, June 19 will be recognized as an official national holiday observed on the actual day if it falls on a weekday. If June 19 is on a Saturday, the holiday is observed the Friday before, and if it falls on a Sunday, the holiday is observed the Monday after.
Under the new state law, June 19 will be recognized as an official state holiday, and all flags covered by the Illinois Flag Display Act will be flown at half-staff. In addition, a Juneteenth flag will fly over the State Capitol in Springfield.
The Aurora community has celebrated Juneteenth for more than 20 years with an annual Juneteenth Celebration hosted by AAMOU and supported by the City, the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board, and Aurora City Council members.
In 2018, aligning with federal and state holidays, the City Council approved Resolution 18-172, designating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as a paid holiday for City of Aurora employees.
This resolution would do the same for Juneteenth.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Advance to the full City Council Meeting on Tuesday, February 8, for approval.
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution designating Juneteenth as a paid holiday for City of Aurora employees.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora will officially observe Juneteenth as a paid holiday for City employees and the closure of City offices, beginning in June 2022; and
WHEREAS, Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, nearly two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863; and
WHEREAS, under Federal law, June 19 is recognized as an official national holiday observed on the actual day if it falls on a weekday. If June 19 is on a Saturday, the holiday is observed the Friday before, and if it falls on a Sunday, the holiday is observed the Monday after; and
WHEREAS, under State law June 19 is recognized as an official state holiday, and all flags covered by the Illinois Flag Display Act will be flown at half-staff. In addition, a Juneteenth flag will fly over the State Capitol in Springfield; and
WHEREAS, the Aurora community has celebrated Juneteenth for more than 20 years with an annual Juneteenth Celebration hosted by AAMOU and supported by the City, the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board, and Aurora City Council members; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, aligning with federal and state holidays, the City Council approved Resolution #18-172, designating Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as a paid holiday for City of Aurora employees, and this Resolution would do the same for Juneteenth.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: that effective upon passage of this Resolution, the Juneteenth Holiday on June 19 will be observed by the City of Aurora employees and recognized as a paid holiday.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chief Human Resources Officer shall be and hereby is authorized and directed to negotiate the inclusion of the Juneteenth Holiday on behalf of the City with the authorized representatives of the bargaining units representing unionized City employees.