Who took the Juneteenth holiday yesterday?

[rennigade]

It’s odd that we do not have holidays and months of commemoration for Native Americans, given the fact that many of our ancestors committed genocide against them, all but wiping them from continent. Atrocities that make slavery seem a birthday party.

Big time. Head to any indian reservation and you'll see mass poverty and meth heads. They're all on meth due to their sh*tty conditions. All of their land was stolen from them and they were given the worst parts of north America to call their home.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Add Hawaiians to the list similar to the Indians. I went to public school in Hawaii and every history class I took rehashed how Captain Cook had overthrown the Hawaiian monarchy & kingdom. Hawaiians have homestead lands where they can apply for land leases of .99 cents for 100 years but to my knowledge it's a long waitlist. Hawaiians have always been trying to become a sovereign nation but never got to the point of self-governance like the Indians. Hawaiians should consult with the Indians to further their cause.

[TexasHusker]

Big time. Head to any indian reservation and you'll see mass poverty and meth heads. They're all on meth due to their sh*tty conditions. All of their land was stolen from them and they were given the worst parts of north America to call their home.

What? Who would ever complain about your own special reservation in ...Four Corners?

[bjl584]

My employer is open on all federal holidays.
We only get the major ones off, Christmas, New Years, Fourth July

[Fishindude77]

My company has elected to not observe this alleged holiday.

[ua_guy]

My company has elected to not observe this alleged holiday.

Thankfully, it's "alleged" as much as Christmas is, but it is a choice for private businesses to observe it or not.

[Petunia 100]

Honest question, having grown up literally on a tiny rock in the Pacific & never heard of Juneteenth prior to the last year or so... How is one expected to celebrate Juneteenth? Is it a proper mass celebration like July 4th, or more of a contemplative/low-key memoriam like MLK's B-Day or Memorial/Remembrance Day? Or perhaps just cook up a bunch of food & have all your friends/family over, like Thanksgiving?

It also hasn't been clear to me... Was this a one-time declaration, or will this be an annually recurring federal holiday?

I'm currently deployed & working 12-hr shifts/6 days a week. Federal, state, local, international, personal, religious, Festivus, and all other holidays need not apply. Add that to the fact of it being enacted the day prior, it was literally just a day like every other. The only thing I really heard about it (besides "make sure nobody thinks they can just not come into work") was the fact that some of the federal civilians who happened to have traveled to visit my unit were happy that they would unintentionally be receiving holiday pay (1.5x I think) for working with us on the new holiday.

Frankly as with many of our other holidays that have not really been wildly commercialized (Christmas, Valentine's, Easter, etc.), most people likely will just treat it as a free day off (ex: Columbus Day, Labor Day, President's Day, etc.). Obviously it also only applies to government workers & those private companies that elect to offer the day as paid time off...

Government workers en masse do not magically get the day off. Our individual unions will have to get it written into individual MOUs, which takes agreement with the employer. That will take time and is certainly not a foregone conclusion.

[disneysteve]

And at what point does the Asian community now ask for a holiday. When does this all end?

Juneteenth isn't specific to any one group. It's an American holiday commemorating a seminal event in American history.

My company has elected to not observe this alleged holiday.

Did you miss the part where it was approved nearly unanimously by both houses of Congress and signed into law by the President? What is "alleged" about it? What makes it any different than any other national holiday? Personally, I've never felt Christmas should be a national holiday since it's a religious celebration. I'm not Christian so the day has no significance to me. It's always just been a lost day of work. I don't get paid for it if I'm off.

[disneysteve]

Thankfully, it's "alleged" as much as Christmas is, but it is a choice for private businesses to observe it or not.

That's true of all holidays, right? My job doesn't close for any holidays at all. We're open 365 days a year.

[TexasHusker]

Did you miss the part where it was approved nearly unanimously by both houses of Congress and signed into law by the President?

So for centuries, this hasn't been a national holiday. Yet suddenly, it's a five-alarm fire to get it on the books yesterday. Both houses of Congress and the President are nothing but a bunch of pander bears. It's so obvious that it's embarrassing.

[ua_guy]

So for centuries, this hasn't been a national holiday. Yet suddenly, it's a five-alarm fire to get it on the books yesterday. Both houses of Congress and the President are nothing but a bunch of pander bears. It's so obvious that it's embarrassing.

This is the president and congress that was voted for. These are some of the measures people have been wanting. Whining and incendiary posting to complain about everything isn't productive.

[TexasHusker]

This is the president and congress that was voted for. These are some of the measures people have been wanting. Whining and incendiary posting to complain about everything isn't productive.

I am well aware of who voted for it. It's still pandering. I fail to see how making an honest observation is "whining and incendiary posting", but carry on as you were.

[Petunia 100]

Juneteenth isn't specific to any one group. It's an American holiday commemorating a seminal event in American history.


Did you miss the part where it was approved nearly unanimously by both houses of Congress and signed into law by the President? What is "alleged" about it? What makes it any different than any other national holiday? Personally, I've never felt Christmas should be a national holiday since it's a religious celebration. I'm not Christian so the day has no significance to me. It's always just been a lost day of work. I don't get paid for it if I'm off.

I'm not a Christian either and have always felt that Christmas is a cultural holiday. Yes, it is religious for some but for many others, it is not. However, you are correct that holidays of other religions are not also recognized with a federal holiday. IMO, this is an issue which will eventually be addressed.

[Petunia 100]

So for centuries, this hasn't been a national holiday. Yet suddenly, it's a five-alarm fire to get it on the books yesterday. Both houses of Congress and the President are nothing but a bunch of pander bears. It's so obvious that it's embarrassing.

Perhaps if it were something which had deeply impacted you personally, you would feel differently.

[rennigade]

I wonder how many days throughout history had some major significance to them? It would be nice to celebrate them all. That way, no one would ever have to work.