The Ongoing Struggle for Juneteenth Recognition in America
Florida has not passed a law making Juneteenth a state holiday, unlike the federal government which declared it a national holiday in 2021. Several bills have been filed in the last three years to make it a paid holiday for state workers, but all have failed in the Republican-led legislature. Democratic Orlando State Senator Geraldine Thompson plans to file the bill again next year, despite expecting a chilly reception from Republicans who recently passed the "Stop WOKE Act" banning certain diversity training in the workplace and school instruction. Thompson says African American history is Florida history and Juneteenth should be recognized as a state holiday.