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AFSCME Wisconsin Supports Dane County Recommendation Honoring Juneteenth PDF Print E-mail
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Friday, 07 August 2020 10:39

juneteenth-flag-buffalo-soldiersLabor Union reaffirms its commitment to achieving economic and racial justice.


MADISON - AFSCME Wisconsin heartily supports the Dane County Board of Supervisors Personnel and Finance Committee’s unanimous recommendation in support of recognizing Juneteenth as a paid holiday for county employees beginning in 2021. Juneteenth celebrates the rich culture and contributions of African Americans and commemorates the ongoing struggle for freedom and equity.

union-members-at-capitolDane County employee and AFSCME Wisconsin Local 720 member Angela Wilson-Richards stated, “I am very happy to hear that the Personnel and Finance Committee has honored the recommendation to make Juneteenth a paid holiday. As an American Descendant of Slavery (ADOS), I understand that my ancestors’ freedom did not begin in 1776, but in 1865 when all slaves realized they were emancipated. As there is a paid holiday for July 4th, it seems only befitting to recognize June 19th as well.”

AFSCME Wisconsin reaffirms its commitment to achieving economic and racial justice in Dane County and across Wisconsin by advocating for quality public services, eradicating systemic injustices in our society, and protecting Dane County employees’ freedom to build workplace power and achieve prosperity.

AFSCME Wisconsin Local 720 President Sonia Kurhajetz explained, “I became an even prouder Dane County citizen when I learned that the Personnel and Finance Committee recommended the resolution to observe Juneteenth as a county holiday. Black Lives Matter is not a moment, it is a movement. It's through recognition and acts such as this that we, as a community, can continue to prove to our Black neighbors that their lives and histories matter and we celebrate them."

AFSCME Wisconsin calls upon all other Wisconsin municipalities to join Milwaukee and Dane Counties by extending holiday status to Juneteenth as is deserved.

 
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