Sen. Perkins Kwoka tried to make Juneteenth a New Hampshire holiday; House said no.
CONCORD — While Juneteenth has been a federal holiday since 2021, in New Hampshire, it’s simply a day of observance, putting it in the same category of celebratory days as Halloween and Earth Day.
This year, state Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth, introduced Senate Bill 481 to instead establish June 19, Juneteenth, as an annual state holiday in New Hampshire.
“When Juneteenth was observed last year in Portsmouth, many, many of my constituents were very surprised to learn that though it was a federal holiday, it was only recognized as a state observance and not an official state holiday,” said Perkins Kwoka on the Senate floor in April. “This bill would give Juneteenth proper status (and) reflected significance to so many people across our state whose important history is now officially recognized.”
While the bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support, it was later killed by the House in early May.
“The committee rejected this declassification for two major reasons,” wrote Rep. Sherry Gould, R-Warner, in the House Committee of Executive Departments and Administration’s recommendation of inexpedient to legislate. “First, June 19th is late in the academic year and we feared its effect on finals and other end of academic year exercises. Secondly, as a holiday, it might well be adopted as another day off for government employees. The committee was concerned that government offices would be closed while private citizens were working.”
At the House executive session on SB 481, where the representatives unanimously voted against the bill, Gould also highlighted the committee's "consistent record on not continuing to proliferate mandated holidays.”
That is part of the reason JerriAnne Boggis, the executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, said the result was not a surprise. In 1999, New Hampshire became the last state to officially name Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state holiday, more than a decade after Illinois became the first state to create the holiday in 1985.
New Hampshire was also one of the last states to name Juneteenth as a day of observance, not doing so until 2019. Texas was the first to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday in 1980.
“I can imagine that it will take a lot of tries for the state to include another holiday,” said Boggis, adding that it might take the state “just as long” as it took for MLK Day. “But I think the fight will continue because it's really important for us to recognize and celebrate freedom. New Hampshire is that 'Live Free or Die' state so, you know, we will just keep trying.”
Vermont became the latest state to make Juneteenth a legal holiday on May 30. Juneteenth is currently recognized as an official state holiday in over half of the US and a holiday or observance in all 50 states.
Rep. Latha Mangipudi, D-Nashua, told other representatives at the executive session that making the day an official holiday in New Hampshire is “something to look at down the line.”
“At least I'm glad that we acknowledged Juneteenth as a day of recognizing the contribution the African American and Black community have done in the history,” said Mangipudi. “I respect the committee's due diligence on how it's done, but it's to be coming down the line.”
Official holiday or not, celebrations continue in New Hampshire. On the Seacoast, there will be activities ranging from African drumming and dance to a Freedom Walk.
Juneteenth 2024: Here are Seacoast events and what to know before you go
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Juneteenth still isn't a NH state holiday, after House rejected it
