TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor Angela Birney
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR CONTACT(S):
Human Resources
Cathryn Laird
425-556-2125
DEPARTMENT STAFF:
Human Resources
David Puente
HR Policy and Labor Analyst
TITLE:
title
Adoption of a Resolution adding Juneteenth as a City Holiday
a. Resolution No. 1556: A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Redmond, Washington, Adopting Juneteenth Day of Observance as a City Holiday
OVERVIEW STATEMENT:
recommendation
This memo seeks approval of the adoption of Juneteenth as a paid City holiday, effective June 19, 2022. June 19 is the annual observance celebrating the end of slavery in the United States in 1865, when Union solders enforced President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and freed all remaining slaves in Texas. It was two months after the South's official surrender in the Civil War and two and a half years after the proclamation went into effect.
body
? Additional Background Information/Description of Proposal Attached
REQUESTED ACTION:
? Receive Information ? Provide Direction ? Approve
REQUEST RATIONALE:
* Relevant Plans/Policies:
N/A
* Required:
Redmond Personnel Manual Section 1.40
* Council Request:
N/A
* Other Key Facts:
In May 2021, Governor Inslee signed a measure making Juneteenth a legal state paid holiday, effective June 19, 2022. On June 18, 2021, President Biden proclaimed June 19th as Juneteenth Day of Observance, making it a federal holiday.
OUTCOMES:
The recognition of this holiday is worthy of celebration by every American, including City of Redmond employees. It has been celebrated since 1866, mostly by Black Americans, but has not been heard more broadly until recently and represents a critical turning point in American history, as the day America began to live up to one of our greatest principles...a nation devoted to liberty for all.
COMMUNITY/STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH AND INVOLVEMENT:
* Timeline (previous or planned):
N/A
* Outreach Methods and Results: ...
Click here for full text