In the final hours of the legislative session, a flurry of bills passed, including legislation to establish Juneteenth — a day commemorating the end of slavery — as a state holiday.
Juneteenth — a portmanteau of June and 19th — was established as a federal holiday in 2021 to recognize when Union troops marched into Galveston, Texas, in 1865, marking the final enforcement of the emancipation of enslaved people. More than half of the states have made it an official state holiday.
The legislation’s journey was not without its hurdles, but its turning point came in a mid-February meeting with the House Finance Committee. There, it encountered Republican pushback over the overtime costs to keep a handful of essential state employees on the job that day.
While GOP legislators said they supported the day’s meaning, some worried about the estimated $957,000 in overtime costs associated with the bill. Some wondered whether it needed to be observed, and others suggested abolishing another state holiday to make room for Juneteenth.
Anchorage Democratic Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, the bill’s sponsor, explained that the bill’s goal was to treat the end of slavery like Christmas or other major holidays, setting an expectation for the community.
“You cannot put a price on celebrating freedom,” she said during a debate with Rep. DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer, over the estimated cost.
On the House floor late on the final night of the session, Anchorage Republican Rep. Stanley Wright carried the bill. He reiterated the need to treat the day with special care, reflecting on the celebrations around the Fourth of July, where people throughout the community come together to celebrate freedom.
“These celebrations are great examples of what it means to be American,” he said. “We join in fellowship and break bread together without regard of race, religion or gender. This is what Juneteenth is all about.”
Sen. Gray-Jackson’s words were echoed by Fairbanks Republican Rep. Will Stapp, a combat veteran, who agreed that you can’t put a price on celebrating freedom.
The bill cleared the House on, as legislative data whiz Will Muldoon described on Twitter, “a 37-of course it’s them” vote. The three votes against were none other than extreme-right Republican Reps. David Eastman, Ben Carpenter and Sarah Vance. It passed the Senate 16-4 last year.
It now heads to the governor for approval.
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Twitter.