(Lincoln, NE) -- All Nebraska state offices will be closed on Friday to observe the Juneteenth holiday.
On Thursday Governor Pete Ricketts, in anticipation of federal legislation being signed and in accordance with state law, announced that state offices will be closed and workers will be granted a day of leave for Juneteenth which will be observed on Friday, June 18, 2021. The Juneteenth holiday falls on a Saturday this year, so state offices will be closed the day before.
Juneteenth marks the emancipation of slaves in Texas after they received word that they had been freed under the Emancipation Proclamation. The holiday was started in Galveston, Texas and is now widely celebrated in the United States.
Nebraska law states that whenever federal employees receive a paid holiday, the State of Nebraska will grant the same benefit to state employees.
Photo: Governor Pete Ricketts' Office