New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday morning via a press release that Juneteenth would be recognized as a city-wide paid holiday. 

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“As the second Black mayor of New York City, I know that I stand on the shoulders of countless heroes and sheroes who put their lives on the line to secure a more perfect union. Now is the time for me to do a small part and recognize one of our nation’s greatest wrongs,” Adams said in the statement. 

Adams also shared his statement on Twitter, writing, “It’s time for our city to finally do what’s right and officially designate Juneteenth as a city holiday. This decision is long overdue…”

New York City will see its first paid Juneteenth this year on June 19. 

Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference at City Hall in New York City, Jan. 24, 2022.
(Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

The Biden administration designated Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021. The holiday marks the anniversary of federal troops announcing the freeing of all enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865. 

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The 1865 announcement came nearly two months after the Civil War ended and two years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. 

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New York City joins several other major U.S. cities in recognizing Juneteenth as a paid city holiday, including Chicago, Illinois, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.