Juneteenth Federal Holidays=Bank Holiday?

[ultrarunner]

Post Office delivered residential mail today but banks are closed citing Juneteenth Federal Holiday.

Surprised the US Post Office would forego a Federal Holiday and it sure caught me off-guard as Friday is my close out the week banking day...

I was not alone in my surprise as a steady stream of business people I recognized kept pulling up looking to deposit receipts.

Did reach a 24 hour banker and learned the decision to observe the Juneteenth Federal Holiday was made Wednesday without advanced notice unless you happened to be in a branch yesterday... looks like all the other big name banks are onboard as they too are closed... told my bank observed nationwide.

I'm very familiar with Juneteenth as we celebrated it in High School decades ago...

 

[MossRoad]

If they cited it as a federal holiday, they are mistaken. It's not a federal holiday. Not that it shouldn't be, but it's not yet.

Go here and scroll down to recognition to see the status of the holiday in all the states. All but three recognize it in some form, but not the federal government.

Juneteenth - Wikipedia

 

[Jstpssng]

If they cited it as a federal holiday, they are mistaken. It's not a federal holiday. Not that it shouldn't be, but it's not yet.

Go here and scroll down to recognition to see the status of the holiday in all the states. All but three recognize it in some form, but not the federal government.

Juneteenth - Wikipedia

Apparently nobody told Maine either, because the banks were open and the DOT guys were doing their regular thing. I never even though of it until the OP started this thread.

 

[oosik]

First I've ever heard of this. So.....what is being celebrated?

 

[Jstpssng]

It's the anniversary of when Abraham Lincoln first freed the slaves... actually when they were freed in Texas two years later. I had never heard of it until a few days ago but supposedly has been a holiday for decades.

Juneteenth is a celebration of progress—and a warning about its ephemerality.

 

[oosik]

Ah - I think it's more commonly known as Emancipation Day.

 

[tallyho8]

Ah - I think it's more commonly known as Emancipation Day.

No, Emancipation Day was 2 1/2 years before Juneteenth.

 

[k0ua]

Actually there are 3 days. Emancipation day Jan 1st 1863, June 19th 1865 and the ratification of the 13 amendment on December 6th 1865.

I had never actually heard of Juneteenth until about a week ago or so. I had always considered the Jan 1st 1863 as the correct date.

 

[ultrarunner]

I will be following up with the bank on Monday...

Observance of Federal Holiday is a direct quote...

Maybe the comptroller of the currency has the definitive answer?

Banking is problematic as temporary branch closures stretch into months.

Every year in High School we commemorated Juneteenth so maybe it is better known in Texas and Oakland CA...

 

[Wagtail]

From what I understand about it, it's a Texas thing... in that, the authorities (at the time of the end of the US Civil War) held off officially ending slavery until June of 1865. Various 'regional' dates within that month resulted in the name "Juneteenth" as no specific date was proclaimed.