CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Several state lawmakers say it’s past time to make Juneteenth an official state holiday.
House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle and Del. Hollis Lewis, both African American, led a news conference Thursday at the capitol after Gov. Patrick Morrisey decided against proclaiming the day a state holiday like former governor, now U.S. Senator, Jim Justice did for the past few years. State offices were open Thursday.
Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, became a federal holiday in 2021.
Morrisey did issue a proclamation about the day itself.
“West Virginia has a proud founding as a free state during the Civil War and was built upon the principles of freedom and liberty,” Morrisey said. “Juneteenth is an important day in our nation’s history and serves as a reminder that all of us should be treated equally under the eyes of God and the law.”
A spokesman for Morrisey said a couple of weeks ago the day would not be a holiday, “due to the continued fiscal challenges facing West Virginia, state government will not be sponsoring any formal activities.”
Lewis, D-Kanawha, said it’s time to change state code to make Juneteenth an official holiday, not waiting on a proclamation. He said he plans on reintroducing a bill to do just that.
“Reintroducing that bill that I introduced in 2024 again in 2026,” Lewis said.
He said several West Virginians played a key role in ending slavery.
“Booker T. Washington, Martin R. Delany and many, many more; these are West Virginians who fought for West Virginia and fought for freedom not only in the United States but all around the world,” Lewis said.
Hornbuckle said there are some that don’t like Juneteenth being made a federal holiday. He said there are efforts to deemphasize it.
“It’s going across the country to have things the same way,” Hornbuckle said. “We’re going to fight back. Respectfully, it is wrong”
He looked around the room at Wednesday’s news conference and noted the unity.
“We’re not going to stand for it and that’s why everyone is in here to do; red, yellow, black and white,” he said. “We’re going to stand tall and we’re going to stand together.”
County courthouses across the state were closed Thursday because it was a federal holiday. It’s guidance the counties received from state Attorney General J.B. McCuskey.
“So, if there is a federal holiday, it is our opinion that the courtrooms themselves be closed and we are working closely with the Supreme Court as they issue guidance on what that means and how it should be carried out in courtrooms across the state,” McCuskey said earlier this week.
Friday is West Virginia Day, a day off for state workers.