EXECUTIVE ORDER
NUMBER FIFTY
TO: HEADS OF ALL STATE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
RE: DECLARING FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021 A LEGAL HOLIDAY TO RECOGNIZE JUNETEENTH

WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 declaring that all persons held as slaves in states and parts of states in rebellion against the United States shall be free; and

WHEREAS, on June 19, 1865, two and a half years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, entered Galveston, Texas, where African Americans remained enslaved, and proclaimed that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were free; and

WHEREAS, Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the emancipation of African Americans enslaved in the rebellion states; and WHEREAS, Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom, heritage and resiliency; and

WHEREAS, Juneteenth offers all of us an opportunity to encourage continuous self-development, open dialogue and respect for all cultures; and

WHEREAS, Juneteenth is a time to reflect on the recent events involving the tragic loss of Black lives and persistent racial inequalities in our society; and

WHEREAS, Juneteenth will be celebrated across the Nation on June 19, 2021; and

WHEREAS, I wish to close state offices in honor of Juneteenth, to provide State of Delaware employees additional time to reflect on our common humanity and mutual respect for each other.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOHN C. CARNEY, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Delaware, do hereby DECLARE and ORDER as follows:

1. June 18, 2021 is declared a legal holiday pursuant to Rule 5.1.1 of the Merit Rules of the State of Delaware.
2. Public offices of the State subject to my authority will be closed on June 18, 2021.
3. The terms of this Order are applicable to all State executive branch employees.

APPROVED this 16th day of June 2021.

John C. Carney
Governor

ATTEST:
Secretary of State

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