City of Madison employees will now receive paid time off on June 19 – recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday – and renamed the day after Thanksgiving to Ho-Chunk Day, according to a report from The Capital Times. The City Council approved the proposed changes in a unanimous vote this week. Juneteenth recognizes the June 19 date in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom, nearly two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Dane County added Juneteenth as a paid holiday last year, and the federal government has also designated the day as a legal public holiday. The resolution also changed the name of the day after Thanksgiving, acknowledging the history of the Ho-Chunk Nation. City employees already receive a paid holiday on that day.
Related story: Dane County considers Juneteenth as paid holiday
