Question for America: Why should Black people make a big fuss about the nation’s 250th anniversary when places like Nassau County, New York, won’t even recognize our history?
In 2020, Juneteenth became a state holiday and a year later, it became a federal one.
Yet in Nassau County, June 19 has not been officially recognized, meaning it’s not a paid holiday that county employees can use to celebrate a day of deep historical significance for Black people across the country.
“We worked for it, our ancestors worked for it, and this is 2026,” said Tina Hodge-Bowles, of the NAACP’s Hempstead branch. “It shouldn’t be a question.”
Hodge-Bowles was one of hundreds of union members, community leaders and advocates who packed the plaza outside Nassau County’s Executive and Legislative Building earlier this month to push county lawmakers to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for county workers.